Comfort for Our 2020 World: "Hallow" God's Name

Samaritan's Purse established field hospitals in Italy and in Central Park, New York City to assist with the overflow of COVID-19 patients.  All of their incredible work is directed toward "hallowing God's Name" - by being God's instruments of blessing, mercy, and healing to a world of sorrow and death. 

The first request in the Lord’s Prayer is “Hallowed be Your Name”.  It asks God to help us really know God, to bless, worship, and praise Him for all His works and for all that shines forth from them - His almighty power, wisdom, kindness, justice, mercy, and truth.  “Hallowed be Your Name” also asks God to help us direct all our living - what we think, say, and do - so that His name will never be cursed because of us but always honored and praised.

To "hallow" means to set something apart from the ordinary or the common, and regard it as holy, as very unique and special.  Another word that means the same is sanctify. We can find the word “hallow” in the word “Halloween” which is the abbreviated word for “hallowed evening”.  To hallow God’s Name is to regard God’s Name as extraordinarily special.  We are to sanctify God’s Name. 

“Hallowed be Your Name”  is first a response to the third commandment: You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.  Secondly, this request is a response to our inability to hallow or sanctify God’s name.  We are inclined by nature to hate God’s name.  So, we turn to God in prayer, asking Him for the power to do what we cannot do by nature.