Catechism Question 90
Question 90: What is the first request in the Lord’s Prayer and what does it teach us regarding prayer?
The first request is “Hallowed be your name.” In it we learn to pray that God will enable us to glorify Him in everything, and that He will work all things for the honor of His own Name.
Focus and Purpose of this Question
This is the third in a series of questions on the Lord’s Prayer. In this question, we ask what is the first request in the Lord’s prayer and what it teaches us. The coming questions will all follow a similar format, asking for each successive part of the prayer, and what that part teaches us regarding prayer. Since this is a model for prayer, this format is important. It is important to not only remember the words of the Lord’s Prayer itself, but to understand what those words mean, and how they should be put into practice in our own prayers.
Furthermore, as we will see with each request, when we pray for this specific thing, we are also committing ourselves to work for it. It would not be possible to pray with the attitudes we saw in question 86 and then not labor to see these things done in our own life.
The answer to this question tells us two key things. First, we are to pray that God will receive the glory and honor He is due. In a sense, this is praying that the very first question of the catechism would be fulfilled: that humans would glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Since this is why we were made, we begin our prayer with the request that God would cause this to happen in us. Second, we are asking that God would cause all things to work for the glory, honor, and praise of His own Name. This shows that prayer is primarily oriented to God, His Kingdom, and His work rather than to us. This will be reinforced by the fact that the first half of the prayer will be devoted to similar themes.
Additional Questions:
What is the first request Jesus taught us to pray, and what does it teach us?
What do we learn to pray in the first request?
What do we learn to pray in the first petition?
Scripture References:
Matthew 6:9–13
“This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”
Luke 11:1–4
One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” 2 He said to them, “When you pray, say: “ ‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread. 4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’”
Nehemiah 9:5
And the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah—said: “Stand up and praise the Lord your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting.’” “Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise.”
Psalms 57:5
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.
Isaiah 6:1–3
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”
Revelation 4:8–11
Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.” 9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: 11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”
Questions for Further Discussion:
Why is it important that this prayer begins with a request for God to make His own name honored? What does this tell us about the proper focus of prayer?
What does it mean for God’s Name to be held as holy? How is this related to the third commandment we studied in question 58?
Why is it important that we not only pray that God’s Name would be honored, but that it would be honored in and through us?
Additional Information:
This question is based on question 122 of the Heidelberg Catechism and question 101 of the Westminster Shorter Catechism. Any resources you find on the Heidelberg or Westminster Shorter Catechisms will have a good discussion on this question.
For additional information, see the teachings “Praying To Our Father In Heaven” (January 5, 2014), and “Praying for God to Be Glorified and Known” (June 16, 2013) by Bret Hicks.
Suggested Worship Song:
How Great Is Our God (Chris Tomlin)
(This song reminds us how great is our God. It is this attitude that should inform our prayer, and the first desire expressed in prayer should be that all would recognize our great God and worship Him.)
The splendor of a king
Clothed in majesty
Let all the earth rejoice
All the earth rejoice
He wraps Himself in light,
And darkness tries to hide
And trembles at His voice
Trembles at His voice
How great is our God – sing with me
How great is our God – and all will see
How great, how great is our God
Age to age He stands
And time is in His hands
Beginning and the end
Beginning and the end
The Godhead Three in One
Father, Spirit and Son
Lion and the Lamb
Lion and the Lamb
How great is our God – sing with me
How great is our God – and all will see
How great, how great is our God
Name above all names
Worthy of all praise
My heart will sing
How great is our God
Name above all names
You’re worthy of all praise
And my heart will sing
How great is our God
[3x]
How great is our God – sing with me
How great is our God – and all will see
How great, how great is our God