What Would Jesus Ask?

Matt Maher is a current Christian musician. He has a song out called "It's Yours" which is based on the Lord's Prayer (the alternate title). Matt opens his song with

Father, let Your Kingdom come
Father, let Your will be done
On Earth as in Heaven
Right here in my heart.

Matt skips right over the "introductions" -- of course we know we're talking to our heavenly, holy Father -- and jumps into the requests. There's only one problem. He skipped a request.

Jesus's famous "Lord's Prayer" begins, "Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name" (Matt 6:9). Indeed, the "our Father" and where He is are introductory remarks about the One to whom we are praying, but that next phrase is not. You see, we think Jesus said that the Father's name was holy. He didn't. Notice that He didn't say, "Hallowed is Your name," let alone "Holy is Your name." The words He selected were "Hallowed" and "be." The first Greek word is hagiazō. If He had intended to say "Holy," it would have been hagios, but this word means "to make holy; to consecrate." And it is "be" and not "is" because God's name is not always regarded as holy. Now, it is abundantly clear from Scripture that God is holy (Isa 6:3; Rev 4:8), so that's not in question. What Jesus wanted His disciples to make part of their regular prayer is that the Father would be regarded as holy by His people. That, as it turns out, was Jesus's first request in His example prayer for His disciples.

Scripture on two occasions boldly declares that God is not merely "holy" or even "holy, holy," but that He is "holy, holy, holy" -- holiness raised to the highest level. This isn't mere purity or removal from sin like we tend to think of it. It is that, and more. It is "otherness." He is not like us. But we -- even believers -- tend to think of Him as a "bigger us." We assume He's just like us only more. And He's not. He's "other." To the utmost. His holiness encompasses all His attributes. It defines His transcendence and communicates His sovereignty. He is not holy like we should be. "There is no one holy like the Lord" (1 Sam 2:2). It is, in fact, only when we begin to get a grip on this concept of "holy" as "other" that we can start to know God as He is -- as He has revealed Himself.

So Jesus prayed -- as a first request -- "Hallowed be Your name." It should be our first request. "May we regard You as holy and lead others to do the same." It should be our lifelong aim to see Him as "holy, holy, holy" and nothing like "commonplace." That is, we, too, need that prayer.