Hallowed be thy name

I wrote this as my facebook status today: 'When you go to pray to your heavenly Father, don't merely close your eyes and bring your petitions but open your eyes and look to see your Father's wonderful face and then you shall say with the deepest affection, 'hallowed be thy name'.

Reflecting upon what I wrote and thinking about how sometimes we are so consumed with our petitions, troubles, aches and sorrows in prayer that we often neglect to look up and really survey who it is that we are praying to. Imagine that you find yourself injured and your wounds are terrible; your calls are for the doctor and while the doctor is not in your presence you continue to call. But when the doctor finally arrives, you have no more need to call for the doctor but to enjoy his presence that he is able to treat your injuries and make you well. How much more is the presence of God when we visit Him in prayer. what troubles or injury may aghast your soul that you should continue to scream while you are with Him. Should you not open your eyes and see the beauty of His face, the satisfaction of His glory and cause you to say with Christ in the garden of Gethsemane, 'your will be done'. Christ also trembled for a while but He knew His Father and the comfort of His presence and thus His soul was resolved to carry his cross. The suffering yet remained but solid peace was found in his soul for He did not continue to scream as if God was not with him but in His suffering He endured it because he knew the heart of His Father. And does not God work together for your good? Has he not included you in His eternal purpose to the praise of His glory. Is not the the first petition of the Lord's prayer 'hallowed be thy name'? And where are we to hallow God, we are to hallow him in our hearts. Hallowing God bears the fruit of joy and comfort in God for we are beholding His majestic glory and our hearts are ravished by his wonders. In first hallowing the name of God, we find ourselves to be satisfied and secure so that when we do begin our request although the troubles and aches remain, our hearts are satisfied in God and our request although very affectionate are said with certainty that God who is our Father, a tender Father will hear us and answer us according to what is pleasing in His sight for us. So when you begin to pray, first hallow the name of God, respect it and love it, be deeply moved by who God is and praise Him and worship him and then begin your request and you will see that your soul will be satisfied and angels will come and minister to you.

K.Oni