Many people pray the Lord’s Prayer for years without noticing what its first line is asking them to do. Before Jesus teaches us to ask for daily bread, forgiveness or deliverance, He teaches us to say, “hallowed be thy name.” Before you ask God for anything, you honor who He is.
That line is a cue. When you reach it, you can stop and talk to God about His character, using the names He has revealed in Scripture. One of the simplest ways to start is with the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Trinity is sound theology, but it is also easy to remember, and that makes it a natural framework for prayer.
Why Names of God Belong in Prayer
The Bible uses many names for God. Some are simply “God” with a descriptor, but many reveal His character. Learning those names gives prayer a vocabulary, so instead of running out of words, you can call on God for who He actually is, with both reverence and confidence.
God the Father Is Exalted
The first name to pray is God the Father, and the word that describes Him is exalted. Two Old Testament names fit here. God revealed Himself to Abram as El Shaddai: “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless” (Genesis 17:1). Melchizedek blessed Abram by El Elyon: “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth” (Genesis 14:19).
God the Father is holy and above us. In Leviticus He says, “be holy, for I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44). When Moses approached the burning bush, God told him, “take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground” (Exodus 3:5). The ground was holy because God was there, and God is holy.
How to Approach God With Reverence in Prayer
Through the finished work of Jesus, believers are invited into God’s presence: “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). Grace gives you a righteous standing, and you never have to earn your way in.
But confidence is not casualness. Even when you come boldly, it serves you well to remember who you are talking to. Scripture opens with four words that settle the matter: “In the beginning, God” (Genesis 1:1). He is God, and it helps to treat Him like God.
That is why it is worth retiring nicknames like “the man upstairs” or “the big guy.” They shrink God down to something He is not. He is God Most High and God Almighty. If you are not sure what to call Him, call Him the Lord. Far from making you feel small, that name can be a comfort.
God also knows exactly who you are: “he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust” (Psalm 103:14). There is grace for the days you come into prayer frustrated or raw, but sooner or later, remember: this is the Lord.
God the Son Is Empathetic
The second name is God the Son, and the word that describes Him is empathetic. Jesus is perfect and without sin, but He is not distant from the human condition. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).
He came down and lived among us: “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). Isaiah gave Him the name Immanuel, God with us (Isaiah 7:14). He is holy, but He is not disconnected. That means two things for prayer. There is nothing you have done that His blood will not cleanse, because “the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). And there is nothing you will pray that is so offensive to Him that He will withdraw His favor.
What It Means That Jesus Is Our Advocate
Praying through the Trinity can feel jarring at first. You confess your righteousness in Christ, then come to “hallowed be thy name” and face the holiness of the Father.
That is exactly where God the Son meets you. “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1). When you feel you do not belong before the throne, Jesus speaks up on your behalf. He bought, supplies and guarantees your righteousness. And He is near: “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18).
God the Holy Spirit Is Empowering
The third name is God the Holy Spirit, and the word that describes Him is empowering. If you are born again, the Holy Spirit lives in you, and He gives power: power to overcome, to live right, and to sense what God is saying and speak it.
“Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). Whatever you are facing, the One who lives in you is greater.
If you have the Holy Spirit, you have all of Him, and yet you can have more. The Father is eager to give: “how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him” (Luke 11:13). When you pray and wonder whether God will act, remember that “all the promises of God find their Yes in him” (2 Corinthians 1:20).
What It Sounds Like to Pray the Trinity
Here is a simple way to put it together as you pray the Lord’s Prayer:
- ”Our Father.” Confess your righteousness in Christ. You are made new and clean, and “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
- ”Hallowed be thy name.” Honor God the Father: You are God Most High, God Almighty, holy and set apart.
- Then the Son. Thank Jesus that He is not a far-off God, that He understands your condition and is your advocate with the Father.
- Then the Spirit. Thank the Holy Spirit that He lives in you, that He is greater than anything in the world, and that nothing you face today is beyond His power.
Then continue through the rest of the prayer. Pray out loud if you can, like Jesus, who “withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed” (Luke 22:41).
A Seed of Prayer, a Harvest of Power
Bible reading brings revelation, and worship is a gift you give to God. But a kind of power comes only in prayer, as you let “your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6). Sow a seed of prayer, and you will reap a harvest of power.
The next time you pray “hallowed be thy name,” let it be your cue. Remember who you are talking to: the Father who is exalted, the Son who is empathetic and the Spirit who is empowering.