Matthew 6:9
Pray then like this:
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
The book of Revelation has several beautiful songs of praise to the Lamb as the vision unfolds. Although the book as a whole is difficult and for some almost frightening, the message is clear: God is the only one who deserves to be praised, and, in the end God wins! That’s a vision of the future. Jesus’ prayer teaches us, first of all that this vision of the future is what we should seek in our prayers here and how.
God is our Father in heaven. He is good, merciful, gracious, loving, compassionate, faithful, and true. We are invited to call on him in faith as our Father. As such, we must also remember that we have brothers and sisters who also call on him. We must never seek to pry out God’s blessings for ourselves at the expense of a brother or sister in Christ. What’s more, we may be part of God’s answer to the prayer of our brother or sister, and their provision in a time of need.
But all this is not even about our brother or sister’s need. All this is about honoring God’s name. All this is about ascribing blessing, honor, glory, power, and praise to the Father who loved us so much that he gave us his Son. His love has been poured into our lives, and for that reason, we seek to honor his name first of all when we pray.
Three years ago I took a trip to the Brooklyn Tabernacle, where Pastor Jim Cymbala leads a powerful ministry of prayer. On a cold, wet, rainy Tuesday night 2500 people gathered in a renovated theater to praise God, hear and word, and most of all, to pray. The overwhelming sense that I had in that prayer service was that these people had come together to honor God by their prayers. They were asking for all manner of things: healing, freedom from addictions, help for marriages, salvation for lost family and friends. But it was clear, their requests honored God. They were congruent with his purposes and being. That’s what it means to hallow God’s name. When you pray, say, “Our Father, let your name be holy…” Amen.
Matthew 6:1-15
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this:
“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 this day our daily bread,
12 and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
David Bahn - Reflections 
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