13 Apr
The first request of the Lord’s prayer is that God’s name would be hallowed. Not only is this the first line of the Lord’s prayer, but it is also the overarching premise and guiding desire of it. John Calvin writes: “the majesty of God deserves to come before all other considerations. It is well for us that God reigns and that all honor is his due; for no man is aflame with the desire to glorify God, unless, forgetting himself, he elevates his mind to seek God who is high and lofty.”
Herein is found a necessary principle to undercutting the ever-creeping selfishness of the soul: “Hallowed be Thy name.” This revering of God can be considered according to various dimensions, as seen in a sampling of how the saints of various times have commented on these pre-eminent Lord’s-prayer words.