DAILY BYTE
‘Hallowed be your name.’
This part of the Lord’s Prayer challenges our deepest motivations for living. Every time we pray this line, we are asking ourselves this following question: Today am I living to hallow God’s name, or am I living to hallow my name?
I have to confess to you that often the only name I am interested in hallowing is my own. All too often my main interest is other people recognising what I have done. All too often I take credit for things I don’t really deserve just because it makes me feel good.
But am I the only one who does that?
Am I the only who lives with mixed motives, not clear about exactly whose essence (or name) I want to shape my life around.
There is this quite scary story in Acts 12 that I can’t pretend to fully understand, where King Herod had been arguing with the people of Tyre and Sidon. They realised that since they depended on the king for food that they should make up with him, so they invited him to give a speech.
They decided that no matter what happened and no matter what he actually said, they would suck up to him. So the Bible tells us that on the appointed day, ‘Herod put on his royal robes, sat on his throne and gave a public address.’ All the while, the people continuously shouted, ‘This is the voice of a god not a man!’
Immediately, we are told, because Herod did not give the praise to God, he was struck down, eaten by worms and died.
Sounds pretty harsh and disgusting, but I can’t escape the feeling that to live our lives based around our own selfish motivations – based on hallowing our own names – can really eat away inside of us like worms.
Whose name do you wish to hallow?
PRAY AS YOU GO
Holy God, whenever I pray ‘Hallowed be your name’ I am reminding myself to turn away from basing my life on selfish motivations, and also committing all my efforts to living in a way that brings you glory and honour. Amen.
FOCUS READING
Acts 12. 18b-23 NIV
Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there a while. He had been quarrelling with the people of Tyre and Sidon; they now joined together and sought an audience with him. Having secured the support of Blastus, a trusted personal servant of the king, they asked for peace, because they depended on the king's country for their food supply.
On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. They shouted, "This is the voice of a god, not of a man." Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.
