Oct 25
26
Baptist Catechism 108
Q. 108. What do we pray for in the first petition?
A. In the first petition, which is “Hallowed be thy name,” we pray that God would enable us and others to glorify Him in all that whereby He makes Himself known, and that He would dispose all things to His own glory. (Matt. 6:9; Ps. 67:1-3; Rom. 11:36; Rev. 4:11)
Scripture Reading: Psalm 67
“TO THE CHOIRMASTER: WITH STRINGED INSTRUMENTS. A PSALM. A SONG. May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, Selah that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Selah Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, shall bless us. God shall bless us; let all the ends of the earth fear him!” (Psalm 67, ESV)
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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.
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Last Sunday, we considered the preface or the introduction to the Lord’s Prayer, which is “our Father in heaven.” The words, “our Father in heaven” are introductory. With these words, we address God in prayer. But the first petition, or request, is this: “Hallowed be thy name…” So then, we are to address God Almighty as Father, for he has set his love upon us in Christ Jesus and has graciously adopted us as his own. And the very first thing we should pray for is that God’s name be “hallowed”.
Brothers and sisters, the petitions of the Lord’s Prayer are carefully ordered. And the first petition is first for a reason.
The way we begin our prayers reveals something about the condition of our hearts. Now, don’t get me wrong. There are times when we may get straight to business with God in prayer, just as there are times when we get straight to business in our conversations with others. It is not wrong to cry out to God in a moment of fear, frustration, or desperation and to immediately bring your concerns or needs to him. But typically, when bowing before the Lord in prayer, we ought to begin, not with requests concerning our own needs, but with a request that God’s name be hallowed. This should be our first request, not only because Christ said that it should be, but because it ought to be the highest concern of our hearts.
When we pray that God’s name be hallowed, we are praying that God would be honored, revered, exalted, and glorified. This is what our catechism teaches, saying, “In the first petition, which is ‘Hallowed be thy name,’ we pray that God would enable us and others to glorify Him in all that whereby He makes Himself known, and that He would dispose all things to His own glory.” That God be glorified should be the leading concern of our hearts, and it should be the first thing we pray for.
Notice that our catechism helps us to think about the various ways that God may be glorified.
In the first petition, which is “Hallowed be thy name,” we pray that God would enable us… to glorify Him…” So then, when we pray to God our leading prayer should go something like this: Father in heaven, use me to bring glory to your name today. Be exalted in my thoughts. Be exulted through my words. Be exulted through my deeds. When pray that God’s name be hallowed, we are praying that God would enable (empower) us to contemplate his glory, to worship and adore him in our minds and hearts, and live for his glory in word and in deed. And because we are to pray, not only for ourselves but also for others, we should pray that “God would enable [empower]… others to glorify Him” too. Lord, be exulted through my spouse and my children. Be exulted through my brothers and sisters in Christ as they live for you in this world. Be exalted through your church as she gathers to worship and serve you, Lord’s Day by Lord’s Day.
The phrase “in all that whereby He makes Himself known”, reminds us that God is to be glorified in all things. As Paul says, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31, ESV). I’m afraid that Christians sometimes assume that God is to be glorified in the chapel and through praise while forgetting that God is to be glorified in every place and in all things. He is to be honored in our eating and drinking, in our thinking and speaking, in our working, and in our recreation. The Christian should do all things to the glory of God, and that is what we are to pray for in this first petition. Lord, empower us to do all things to the glory of your name.
The phrase, “and that He would dispose all things to His own glory,” reminds us to pray that God be glorified in all circumstances. God must be praised when he poors out blessings upon us in Christ Jesus, but he is also to be praised in times of difficulty, knowing that he works all things together for good in the lives of his people (Romans 8:28). “[P]ray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:17–18, ESV).
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Conclusion
Q. 108. What do we pray for in the first petition?
A. In the first petition, which is “Hallowed be thy name,” we pray that God would enable us and others to glorify Him in all that whereby He makes Himself known, and that He would dispose all things to His own glory. (Matt. 6:9; Ps. 67:1-3; Rom. 11:36; Rev. 4:11)
