Our Father in heaven,
We bow before You and exalt You for who You are and for all that You have done for us in Your Son Jesus Christ. You are love, and in love, You gave Your Son for us. You are just and You made Him our substitute and allowed Him to stand in our place. You are sovereign, and by Your power You raised Him from the dead. You are gracious and by Your Spirit You drew us to Christ, made us alive in Him, and pardoned our many sins. You are faithful: for all the times we have doubted You, and for all the times we have failed You, You have kept us, and You will never let us go.
Father, we exalt Your holy name. Right now, the angels that surround You cry out, Holy Holy Holy! And gladly we join them in worship.
Father, we grieve that this world does not know You. We grieve that millions can study the order and beauty of all that You have made, and yet give no thanks to You. We grieve because instead of praising the works of Your hands, many rage against You as if You were the source of all evil. Father, the world does not know You and we grieve that Your name is blasphemed all day long, across every continent of the world You have made.
How great is the hatred of the human heart against You. And how great is Your love that You should love a world like this and send Your Son, knowing that we would scourge Him, spit on Him, and nail Him to a cross. Lord have mercy on us!
We are so thankful that in Your grace, You have made us Your children and that we can call You our Father. We bear Your name in this world and we tremble to think that anyone would despise You because of what they see in us. Deliver us from merely calling You Lord and not doing what You command. Let us be done with living for ourselves, and help us to live in a way that honors You.
We pray for friends and loved ones who are under great pressure, who endure distress, and who face great darkness. Grant that Your name will be honored as they trust You and love You, even in this! As Your Son glorified Your name by enduring the cross, so grant them endurance that they may reflect Your Son’s likeness.
Father, we long for Your name to be hallowed. Please move and act in this world in such a way that more and more people will treasure You above all else. And make this true of us, we pray.
Lord, hasten the day when our faith will be sight. And until that day comes, let us be done with exalting ourselves. Let us live for Your praise and for Your honor alone through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
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This article is adapted from the sermon “God’s Name” from the sermon series on the Lord’s Prayer, Six Things to Ask of God. Watch the sermon below.
