Week 3 | Pray Like This | Hallowed
SUMMARY
Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6 on prayer show us that prayer is something that can be taught and it’s something that can be learned. Which means that it can be done the right way and it can be done the wrong way. When Jesus teaches us to pray- he shows us that our prayers are not supposed to be a memorized mantra, but is a model for us to follow.
When approaching the Father in prayer, Jesus also says that we are to “hallow” the name of God.
To hallow means to make holy, sanctify or honor as holy. So what are we asking when we say God “Hallowed be your name”. What we are saying is “God we want your character and your trait’s to be set apart and holy. We want it to be so revered, we want your personhood, your reputation, we want it to be so supremely valued, that it is the most precious and most valuable thing.
The truth is we all hallow something. It may be wealth or popularity. We can discover what we supremely value (hallow) by answering:
1) What do I believe makes me the most valuable or gives me the most worth?
2) What gets the priority of my time and money and attention.
3) Where do you struggle with the most amount of bitterness?
4) What do I worry about or what do I pray about the most?
When we begin our prayers saying “hallowed be your name”. We are not just declaring, we are not just proclaiming, we are petitioning God to take action in our lives so that he is understood as supremely worthwhile.
TALK IT OUT
• Read Matthew 6:6-13 together as a group. Today we are studying the phrase “hallowed be your name.” To “hallow” means to make holy, sanctify or honor as holy. It means set apart.
•What stood out to you the most from the teaching on the phrase “Hallowed be your name”?
•Reflecting on your own life, what are some things that you find yourself hallowing or placing supreme value on?
•How does the concept of hallowing God’s name challenge our cultural understanding of value and worth?
•The message offered some questions that may help you determine what you actually hallow in your life. Discuss these together as a group.
1) What do I believe makes me the most valuable or gives me the most worth?
2) What gets the priority of my time and money and attention.
3) Where do you struggle with the most amount of bitterness?
4) What do I worry about or what do I pray about the most?
•The message mentioned that all our anxieties and problems are driven by issues of adoration. How does this idea resonate with your personal experiences?
•In what practical ways can we hallow God’s name in our daily lives, relationships, and interactions?
•Why is it important to “tune our hearts to sing God’s praises continually?” How can we cultivate a habit of continually hallowing God’s name in our lives?
•Share a personal experience or testimony of a time when you felt challenged to hallow God’s name in a specific situation.
•How can we support and encourage one another in our journey to hallow God’s name more fully in our lives?