The Lord’s Prayer: Prayer As Worship

“your name be honored as holy.”

God is a holy God, and as we learn about him, our prayers grow in honor and praise of him. God reveals himself through scripture. The names he’s given us show us who he is.

If we desire to grow in our prayer life, we must learn about the one whom we pray to. There is a correlation between our prayer life and our time spent in the Word of God. This is because as we see God through the Bible in his names, work, and character, we grow in deeper dependence, awe, and wonder of him.

When we study the book of Psalms, some things should stand out to us as readers. First, each psalmist is transparent in their present circumstances, and they are blunt to God about them. When we read the Psalms, there is a sense that the psalmist doesn’t hold back in prayer, and neither should we. This transparency is true regarding times of praise or times of sorrow. Secondly, the psalmist invariably conveys the identity of God, the reasons for His worthiness of praise, and the assurance of His exaltation.‌

We honor him in prayer because he is holy and worthy. The measure of our honor isn't in how well we speak, but in the heartfelt worship we offer him.

Notice how Jesus says in Matt 6:5-8, on the sermon on the mount, “Whenever you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. When you pray, don’t babble like the Gentiles, since they imagine they’ll be heard for their many words. Don’t be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask him.”. Prayer is not a show but an intimate conversation. Our prayers in public or in private are not about how great we are, but how great he is. Prayer is never about elevating ourselves. Matter of fact, a true devotional prayer life will erode the pride we carry in our own lives. This is because in prayer, we are surrendering to a power and being that is higher than ourselves.

You don’t have to have the most reverent language either. I fear people don’t pray in public because of a fear of what others may think. This fear is often associated with our doubt that our prayers do not sound as “holy” or “revered” in comparison to another. You never know how God will use you in a moment to speak to another, even in prayer. We are all different, and we all speak in our own genuine, unique selves. God doesn’t want to hear a fake version of us in prayer; he wants authenticity. Sometimes, we never know what to say. However, it’s the words we cannot articulate that surface in our stillness with tears as we gaze upon the Lord in silence. ‌‌Not all prayers look or sound beautiful. The beauty of prayer is not in the way it's spoken, but in the intention behind it.

When you look at this phrase, “Honor as holy” or, “Hallowed Be” as some translations put it. What they are trying to communicate is a word that means sanctify or make holy. He is already holy. We do not make him holy. We render or compose our prayers to mirror his holiness. We honor that holiness in our prayers. Notice that a 3D Printer renders a copy of an object. The copy faithfully reproduces the scanned object. The God we are honoring or hallowing in our prayers should be the holy God of the Bible. A set-apart God, unlike anything or anyone else in existence. God is unlike anyone or anything else. We offer our prayers to him with deep respect and high regard for his holiness, recognizing him as a pure and worthy entity.

He is pure & perfectly unique.

He is just without corruption.

His power is without equal.

He creates with order & purpose.

His ways are always straight.

His healing is not merely physical but spiritual.

His sight is beyond space & time.

His knowledge is perfect.

His sovereignty is full of grace & love.

‌ Discussion Questions:

1. What are some of the names from scripture for God, and what do each of these names teach us about him?

2. How can you incorporate these names into your daily prayers?

3. What Bible stories do you love? How do each of these stories teach you about God, and how can these Bible stories honor God in your prayers?