Wed.12.17.14 Powerful Praying...Holy is your name!

Do you know the meaning of your name? Names in Bible times were often given after the baby was born. The name then may have been given based on some characteristic of the infant. For example, look at how Isaac and Rebekah named their boys. “When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau. After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob. Gen.25:24-26. Esau means “red” and Jacob means “heel grabber.” (Aren’t you glad your parents didn’t follow that practice?) So names reflected something of the very identity of the person.

In today’s portion of the Lord’s prayer, Jesus reveals something about the name of God. He first introduced us to God as “our Father in heaven.” But today we want to look at the next phrase Jesus gives us in this opening of praise- “hallowed be thy name.” He is not only our Father, but also one to be feared or revered- Hallowed be thy name. In other words, most honorable and holy is your name, your identity. May people honor your name, your being.

You’ll notice in a number of prayers in the Bible, where people didn’t just jump into a request, such as we often hear today- “Dear God, please help me to have a good day today.” Instead we find many prayers of the Bible beginning with honor being given to God’s name, his identity. Here are some examples:

Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven and said:“Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below—you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way.” 1 Kings 8:22-23.

And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: “Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.” 2 Kings 19:15.

And the Levites…said: “Stand up and praise the Lord your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.” Nehemiah 9:4-6

1.- Psalm 145 is an amazing song of praise to God’s name and ways. We’ll look at all of it over the next few days. For now just read over verses 1-7. Then copy down verse 2 on your 3x5 and pray it over throughout your day.

Just as we are to read our Bibles every day, every day we should include praise to God’s great name. It’s not that God is an egomaniac needing us to praise him. (Actually, he is the most humble being in the universe!) We are the ones that need to be reminded how great he is. We are the ones so prone to be self-centered. We are in the dark ages when we live as if everything revolves around us. But we are sons of the enlightenment when we live our lives revolving around the Son. Daily praise is so helpful to remind us of this. But if every day we are to praise his name, how do we keep from falling into a rut of saying the same thing?- “Our Father, I praise your holy name.” Well, here’s help. Check out this amazing list of 900 names and attributes (qualities) of God. 

http://christiananswers.net/dictionary/namesofgod.html

2.-Pick out 5 names of God from this huge list (perhaps see names that begin with the first letter of your name) and share them with the team. Then also write them down on your 3x5.

(When you’ve done #1 and 2, you know what to do- Did it.)

How beautiful to see the way you are encouraging your fellow teammates! Please continue to encourage the brother who posted above you and jot down his name on your 3x5 and pray for him today. (I carry a 3x5 with your name on it in my shirt pocket, which happens to be next to my heart:)

"Hallowed be Thy name" is also a prayer that God would cause his name to be revered by more and more people. It is an apt prayer for our goal of multiplying MANLY men. We long for God to draw more people to his holy name and to honor him as holy. Lord, help us reach and teach more to live lives that bring honor to your holy name.

Just to Brighten your Day!

We began by talking about how in Bible times, names were given after the baby was born, because the name that was chosen often revealed something of the infant's identity. The following funny story well illustrates this-

A pregnant woman from West Virginia was involved in a car accident and while in the hospital, she fell into a coma. When she awoke days later, the woman noticed that she was no longer carrying a child, and excitedly asked, "Nurse, what happened to my baby!"
The nurse replied, "Congratulations Ma'am, you've had twins! You're the proud mother of a handsome baby boy and a beautiful baby girl. Also, you should know that while you were in a coma, your brother named the children for you."
"Oh, no!" shrieked the woman. "Not my brother! He's not really all together, if you know what I mean!"
The nurse replied, "Well, ma'am, your brother named your daughter Denise."
"Oh, that's no so bad," smiled the woman. Then, hesitantly, she asked, "What's the boy's name?"
The nurse grinned and said, "Denephew." 

I salute my unstoppable teammates!

		G=God's Word	R	E	A	T
		For Mon.12.15.14
	Alpha Force
	Fire Team 1
1	Jack Rogers	Y
2	Daniel Contreras	Y
3	Roger Vinlasaca	Y
	Fire Team 2
4	Israel Fuentes	Y
5	John Pallozzi	Y
6	Sam Vargas	Y
	Delta Force
	Fire Team 3
1	Alvin James
2	Dave Heidekruger	Y
3	Mike Pagan	Y
	Fire Team 4
5	Eddie Morales	Y
6	Gary Remson	Y
7	Ismael Andrade	Y

PS- Honors to Mike Pagan who recently started serving as a chaplain with New Life. He has helped to conduct several wakes recently including one Monday evening for 26 year old Nick Garza (Rene's son). Bless you Mike!