We Need to Confirm What We Heard and Be Careful What We Say
There are numerous names for God in the Bible: Abba, El Shaddai, Adonai, Yahweh. And now Howard may be on the list, too.
This past Sunday, Pastor Lisa shared a story about a child, and when I went looking later for it online, I found a few different versions, some about a boy and some about a girl. It’s the same story either way, and this one even had a video:
Seeing the world through the eyes of a child is always interesting. With their innocent hearts, kids often see, hear, and interpret things differently from adults.
So, as this mom’s cute daughter boldly proclaims that God’s name is Howard, she has no doubt she’s right. She asks her child, “How do you know His name is Howard?”
The little girl immediately starts reciting the Lord’s Prayer …well, her version of it!
“Our Father, Who art in Heaven, Howard be thy name,” she says.
Of course, “hallowed be thy name” is the correct line. But it’s hard to argue with this precious child’s interpretation of the Lord’s Prayer!
Last week, we started discussing the Lord’s Prayer and what it means to call God “Father”. This week, we’re moving to the next line of that prayer: honoring God’s name as hallowed.
Hallowed means holy, set apart, worthy, consecrated, revered.
In Exodus 3:1-6, Moses is shepherding his father-in-law’s sheep near Mount Horeb when he sees a bush that’s on fire but isn’t burning up. Of course, that gets his attention. As he goes to check it out, God calls out from the bush, “Moses, Moses!”
Moses answered, “I’m here.”
Then the Lord said, “Don’t come any closer! Take off your sandals, because you are standing on holy ground.” He continued, “I am the God of your father, Abraham’s God, Isaac’s God, and Jacob’s God.” Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God.
We need to remember that God is not something casual … He is Holy!
Too often, we approach God with a relaxed perspective and forget that He is God.
This is why Jesus teaches us to pray, “Hallowed be thy name.” It’s about putting God ahead of everything else. This is where He belongs.
After Moses’ encounter with God at the bush, he goes back to Egypt, leads the Israelites out, and brings them to the mountain where they receive the Ten Commandments. The third commandment tells them not to take the Lord’s name in vain. This is another reminder of God’s holiness.
They were given a lot of laws, and they agreed to follow them…and we all know how that went. Those laws were meant to set them apart and show the rest of the world that they were different.
Jesus came to fulfill the law.
Some church leaders questioned Jesus and His disciples for not following certain traditions like washing before they ate. Jesus told them it’s not washing that defiles us, it’s what comes out of our mouths. Our words and actions show the world what’s in our hearts.
That’s why it matters what we take in. When we need to listen carefully, read the Bible, and put good things in, it becomes much easier for good things to come out.
God’s name isn’t Howard. It’s Hallowed, it’s Holy!