The Lord's Prayer (4)

"Hallowed be your name."
Matthew 6:9

If you ever get invited to Buckingham Palace and have the privilege of meeting the Queen, don't show up in cut-off blue jeans and a raggedy T-shirt. They won't let you in. You're not coming to a pizza parlour, you're entering a palace, you're addressing royalty. Keep that in mind. When Jesus told us to pray, "Hallowed be Your name," He was teaching us:
His protocol. There's only one way to enter God's presence. And it's not with a shopping list of all the things you want. If the only time someone comes to visit you is when they need something, you'll soon stop answering the door. David tells us how to approach God: "Know that the Lord He is God: it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves… Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name" (Psalm 100:3-4). Did you get that? We should enter His gates with thanksgiving for all He's done. Then walk across His courtyard with praise for Who He is: "My Saviour, my Deliverer, my Defender, my Provider, my Source of Strength, my Way-maker, the Centre of my joy, the Lover of my soul, the Author and Finisher of my faith." You say, "But I'm not the emotional type." Come on, you've no trouble expressing yourself when your team's winning. Whether you're a morning person or a night person, the Bible says, "From the rising of the sun to its going down, the Lord's name is to be praised" (Psalm 113:3). The way to enter, to enjoy, and to live in God's presence - is through praise.