Into the Prayer Life of Jesus : "Hallowed Be Your Name"
This is our Sunday teaching from Worship Pastor, Zac Carpenter. Recorded live at our service in Harris Academy Purley, Croydon on Sunday 21st September, 2025. Below you can find the full talk audio, and a summary article.
Want to lead a Connect Group session on this teaching? The notes are here!
Talk Summary - “Hallowed Be Your Name”
Prayer can feel complicated sometimes. I don’t know if you’ve ever sat down to pray and found yourself with nothing to say — just an awkward “Lord… um… help?” We’ve all been there! And yet, when the disciples asked Jesus to teach them anything, the one thing they wanted to learn was how to pray. There was something about the way Jesus prayed that was irresistible, life-giving, completely different.
In Luke 11, Jesus gives them the prayer we now know so well: “Father, hallowed be your name…” That little word hallowed isn’t one we use much. In Greek it means hagiazo — to set apart, to declare holy. It reminds us that God isn’t just a better version of us. He is utterly unique, beyond compare. To pray “hallowed be your name” is to begin not with our shopping list of needs, but with worship — lifting our eyes to the greatness and goodness of God.
That’s important, because prayer is more than asking. Yes, Jesus goes on to teach us to ask for bread, forgiveness, and protection. But he starts with adoration. Before anything else, we worship. Prayer isn’t a transaction where we offer God our devotion in exchange for blessings. It’s a relationship, rooted in love.
So how do we grow in this? Three simple steps that will help:
Ask the Holy Spirit to help. Prayer isn’t about trying harder; it’s about leaning on God’s Spirit to lift our eyes.
Trade a distraction for an opportunity. Ten minutes scrolling, one more episode, or a fantasy football update can become ten minutes of walking, watching, or whispering worship.
Expand your vision of Jesus. Open Scripture. Go for a walk. Read a psalm before bed. Let beauty and truth stretch your picture of who God is.
“Hallowed be your name” pulls us out of ourselves. It reminds us that worship isn’t about us — it’s all for him. And yet, as we lift our eyes to God’s holiness, we find ourselves changed. Our needs don’t vanish, but they are reframed in the light of his glory.
So this week, when you start to pray, begin here: “Father, may your name be kept holy.” And then let everything else flow from there.