The Lodestar

The second line of the Lord’s Prayer is ‘hallowed be your name’ (Matthew 6:9). The passive verb ‘hallowed’ does not identify a specific subject because the act of revering God’s name cannot be limited to any one person or group.

“Be hallowed” means “be considered or treated as holy.” It is not making God’s name holy or attributing holiness to God’s name but recognising that the very situation that God remains sacred. Whether we acknowledge it or not, God’s character is holy.

Prophet Isaiah, who lived almost eight hundred years before Christ, knew that people would pray this prayer on the day of restoration through Christ. “For when he sees his children, the work of my hands, in his midst, they will sanctify my name; they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob and will stand in awe of the God of Israel” (Isa 29:23).

Knowing that she would be the mother of the saviour of the world, Mary praised God’s holy name: “For he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name” (Luke 1:49). Mary acknowledges that God’s name is holy. Peter exhorted his readers to do what Mary did, adoring the Lord as the holy God: “But in your hearts honour Christ the Lord as holy …” (1 Peter 3:15).

Holiness is more than purity; it is otherness or being distinct from everything else. God is holy because he is different from all that he created. When we acknowledge God’s name as “hallowed,” we recognise the truth that God is far different from us, feeble, sinful people.

The subject of the passive verb “be hallowed” is unspecified because its scope is wider than any single entity; everything in the world should acknowledge that they are not equal to its creator. Recognising that we have a Creator, and he is far above us in power and character, is the first act of worship.

Take a moment today to reflect on the holiness of God’s name. In your prayers, in your words, and in your actions, honour him as the Holy One who stands apart from all creation. Let the words “hallowed be your name” shape how you live — with awe, reverence, and a heart that declares God’s holiness in every circumstance.

Pause. Acknowledge. Worship. Let your life echo what heaven declares: “Holy is the Lord.”