Matt. 6:9 You then pray in this way: Our Father who is in the heavens, Your name be sanctified. Phil. 2:10 That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, (11) And every tongue should openly confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
"Your name be sanctified!" God has an expectation that we all pray for His name to be sanctified by men. His name is exalted among the angels. But on earth, His name is being used in vain... When a man takes the name of God in vain, God does not show His wrath by striking him with thunder. He hides Himself, as if He did not exist. Yet He wants His children to pray, "Your name be sanctified." Brothers and sisters, if you love God and know Him, you will want His name to be sanctified. If anyone takes God's name in vain, you will feel hurt, your desire will be even stronger, and you will pray even more earnestly: "Your name be sanctified." One day man will sanctify this name and no longer take this name in vain. "Your name be sanctified!" God's name is not only a title we address with our mouth; it is a great revelation we receive from the Lord. God's name is used in the Bible to designate His revelation to man concerning Himself; it denotes everything we know about Him. God's name speaks of God's nature, and it reveals His fullness. This is not something that man can understand with his soul but something that the Lord reveals to us (John 17:6). The Lord said, "And I have made Your name known to them and will yet make it known, that the love with which You have loved Me may be in them, and I in them" (17:26). This shows us that in order to know God's name, we need the Lord to make it known to us again and again. "Your name be sanctified!" This is not only our desire but also our worship to the Father. We should give glory to God. We should begin our prayer with praises. Before we can hope to receive mercy and grace from Him, we should give glory to Him. We should allow Him to gain the fullest praise concerning Himself, and then we should receive grace from Him. Brothers and sisters, we have to remember that the main thing and the ultimate goal in our prayer is for God to gain glory.
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from "The Prayer Ministry of the Church" in the Collected Works of Watchman Nee, Vol. 22, pp. 162-163. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA. Please visit us at www.emanna.com. Send comments to: [email protected].
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