Photo by Ruben Hutabarat
“Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name”
Luke 11:2, KJV
Many of us have heard the wise advice, “Always read the small print.” If we don’t read the words in small print, we can miss something very important.
It is amazing how many sections on documents, articles, and websites are written in really small print. And the older I get; the print seems to be getting even smaller and smaller.
Dr. David Jeremiah tells the story of the tiniest books ever written. It was sold at an auction for more than four thousand euros. It was published back in 1952 by the Gutenberg Museum in Germany as part of a fundraising drive to rebuild the museum damaged during WW II. It can only be read using a magnifying glass. In this tiny book, the Lord’s prayer is written.
Dr. Jeremiah makes this important observation about this prayer, “How ironic! The smallest prayer ever printed is the biggest one ever prayed. This prayer has been prayed by more people, in more languages, at more times, and during more crises than any other prayer in history. There’s nothing tiny about it!”
He also draws our attention to use of the word “Hallowed”. This “refers to God’s holiness, sanctity, and sovereign righteousness. By using that word when we pray, we’re acknowledging God’s great holiness and, by implication, relinquishing control of our lives to His perfect will.”
When we pray, what is our attitude towards God in regards to our requests? Do we acknowledge and abide by the fact that God is holy and sovereignly righteous? Do we trust that whatever His answer may be to our prayers and petitions is the right one for us at this moment? (Yes, no, not now, or He has something even better).
Take time to pray and praise God for His answers to our prayers ahead of time, because of whom He is.
Pastor Arnold
Heart to Heart, 7/2/23