It’s all in His Name

After reiterating His divine authority and establishing the context for worship, the next set of words from God were, “You shall not take the Name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain, “ (Exodus 20: 7).  When Jesus was teaching His disciples to pray, even as He stressed the familial relationship between the human and the divine, Jesus also invoked reverence and awe for the Name of God. The disciples needed to know that God’s Name is holy, thus “Hallowed be Thy Name,” (Matthew 6:9). The very Name of God is special because it encompasses who God is and His moral authority. To speak the Name of God is to call on the Creator of the universe. That means that even though God is our Father, believers do not curse or use…