The first petition of the Lord's Prayer is "Our Father which art in Heaven, Hallowed Be Thy Name." Barclay explains 'Hallowed Be Thy Name', as "Enable us to give to Thee the unique place which Thy nature and character deserve and demand." This is a prayer for reverence. When we pray "Hallowed Be Thy Name", we are really praying that we will be enabled to revere God as He deserves to be reverenced. If this is a prayer for reverence, we must try to understand the real meaning of reverence .If we revere somebody, we will seek to please him in all our ventures and try very hard to maintain our good conduct so that his name will not be sullied by our association with him. Our reverence for God must encourage us to discipline ourselves so that we can approach Him with due reverence. Says Barclay: "Reverence is knowledge plus submission”. We need to be aware of His righteousness and Omnipresence. We need to aware of His constant presence to be able to submit ourselves to God. Susanna Wesley had a prayer: "Help me, Lord, to remember that religion is not to be confined to the church or closet, nor exercised only in prayer and meditation, but that everywhere I am in Thy presence." (Barclay's Matthew, Vol. 2: p.180.) We can not submit to somebody if we do not realize our closeness to him. Hence, when we are aware of His presence, we find it easier to submit to Him. Even prayer becomes effective when we realize the presence of God. Submission to God means keeping our character pleasing to God and character is defined what we are when no one watches us. God is honoured by what we do and think when no one else watches us .It is easier to put on a holy veneer when we are watched. But the mask drops when we are alone or when no one watches us. God’s name is hallowed by what we are, what we do and what we think. So when we say this prayer, let us ask ourselves whether our submission to God and our very life could honour Him and exalt Him? May God be glorified by what we are .

Dr. (Mrs.) Edriana Jeyasingh