“Father, glorify your name.” John 12:28
Praying, “Hallowed be your name” will change you. It will light a fire in your heart to live in a way that honors your Father in heaven. “Lord, I want Your name to be honored. Let me never bring dishonor to Your name.”
Jesus Himself prayed this prayer: “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name” (John 12:27-28).
Our Lord faced the prospect of unspeakable suffering. He would be scourged, mocked, and crucified. He would bear the curse of all our sin. He would plumb the depths of the darkness of hell. And as He thought about it, His soul was troubled. Would He say, “Father, save me from this hour”? No, it was for this hour that He came into the world. So He said, “Father, glorify your name.” Honoring the Father’s name was everything to Jesus.
There may come a time in your life when you face a great evil, and you wonder, “How can God’s name possibly be honored in this?” Here’s how God’s name will be honored—that even in such a time, you love and trust Him still.
When Jesus prayed this prayer, He received an immediate answer, “Then a voice came from heaven: ‘I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again’” (John 12:28). Notice that there is a “now” answer and a “then” answer to this prayer? “I have… and I will.”
God’s name is glorified here in a world that despises Him by people who love Him and trust Him, even in the darkest places, as Jesus did.
Can you look back and see difficult times in your life when you were still able to pray “Hallowed be your name”? If you are in the middle of a dark time now, would you pray this prayer today?
