HALLOWED BE THY NAME.....

 hal•low (ˈhæl oʊ)

v.t. -lowed, -low•ing.

1. to make holy; sanctify; consecrate: to hallow the name of the Lord.

hal·low  (hl)

tr.v. hal·lowed, hal·low·ing, hal·lows

1. To make or set apart as holy.

2. To respect or honor greatly; revere.

Before my son was born, I already knew that I’d name him Joshua after my dad. I needed two names though and my list was long but I still had time to come up with the perfect names for my son. After Joshua was born, I started making his scrapbook. One of the pages in the scrapbook I titled “What’s in a name?” Here I was to write down Joshua's names and then write the meaning behind each name.

Joshua, an English rendition of the Hebrew name Yeheshua meaning “Yahweh our salvation”..such a powerful meaning. I started reading through the story of this great man of God and found that one of my favorite verses in the Bible – Joshua 1:9 had been mentioned severally in Deuteronomy 31.

Joshua 1:9 (NIV) Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

These words were told to the people of Israel then later to Joshua by Moses. Joshua was a leader, commissioned by God to lead His people. Joshua's name reflected his character. 

I gave my son Joshua a second name from this passage...Jabari...meaning "Strong and Courageous".

Long story short...I found two perfect names for my son! Do they reflect his character?

Speaking of great names...GOD! God's name is great and powerful and represents His character. His name should be honored as holy and sacred. God should be greatly revered and respected. Every time we enter into His presence we do it with thanksgiving, worship and high reverence. Thanking Him for what he has done for us, what He does in our lives and we also thank Him for who He is......Great, Awesome, Loving, Caring...... When we reflect on who God really is,. His glory and Holiness, we realize that, that alone is worthy of our thanks, worship and praise.

Psalms 99.9: Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at his holy hill; for the LORD our God is holy. 

Psalms 100.4: Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.  

All that we are, all that we have, all that we own, all that we hold dear and possess, belongs to God. Thanking God is the simple way of honoring Him. The greatest way to honor and revere Him however, is by how we live. Our lives should reflect God. 

1 Corinthians 10:31 (NIV)

³¹ So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Matthew 5:16 (NIV)

¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Does your life glorify God? Does your life bring people in to His Kingdom? Do people desire to know God and live for Him when they look at you and how you live?

Let us worship God's awesome and holy name, honoring Him with our lives and seeking to grow deeper in our relationship with God. That's what "Hallowed be thy name" means to me.