“Hallowed be Your name.” —Matthew 6:9
“Just wait until your father gets home!” Many of us heard that threat at least once when we were kids. Or we might have used something similar to get a sibling to back off: “I’m gonna tell Mom!” As children, we recognized that specific names have power. Merely saying the name has an effect.
When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He modeled a manner of praying that included “hallowing God’s name.” That may sound a bit archaic to our ears, but it means to “worship His Name.” Jesus instructed us to worship God through His name.
Do you know the names of God? He has more than one name, and they’re found throughout the Bible. God isn’t actually His name, but rather His title.
We tap into something very powerful when we know His names and worship His names specifically. For instance, when we need healing, we worship Him as Healer—that’s one of His names. He is also called Righteousness. The Apostle Paul said he didn’t want any of his own righteousness, but rather Christ’s. We also need to know that name and claim it as our own.
When we don’t have enough money to pay our bills and meet our needs, we can worship ourProvider—another name of the Lord. Or how about Shepherd? When I don’t know which way to go and need guidance, I can worship the Good Shepherd who safely leads His flock.
When you need peace in your relationships, your job, your marriage, worship the Lord, your Shalom. What if you are in a battle right now—spiritual, physical, legal, or work related? You can call on the Lord as your Banner of Victory, yet another of His names.
There are many more names of God, so whenever you find one in Scripture, write it down and have a page in your Bible to list them all. That way, you can worship His name, calling on the right name at the right time. It gives Him glory to acknowledge all these facets of His character, and it releases the power of His name to work in our lives.
“There are two hundred and fifty-six names given in the Bible for the Lord Jesus Christ, and I suppose this was because He was infinitely beyond all that any one name could express.”—Billy Sunday
