Day 24
Read Psalm 96
When Jesus’ disciples ask him how to pray in Luke chapter 11, Jesus responds by teaching them what has become known as the “Lord’s Prayer.” Jesus’ prayer then, is not just what we should pray but how we should pray – it is an outline of prayer. Not the only outline, but perhaps the best. It has been said that the Lord’s Prayer can be seen as a summary of all the prayers taken as a whole in the Book of Psalms. In other words, every Psalm could be placed under one of the six petitions in the Lord’s Prayer – (1) Hallowed be Your name, (2) Thy kingdom come, (3) Thy will be done, (4) Give us this day our daily bread, (5) Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors, (6) Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
If that is the case then Psalm 96 would be categorized under the first petition of Jesus’ outline – “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Your name.” Or in modern English, “Our Father, in heaven, may You be considered holy here on earth.” Or as Eugene Peterson translates it, “Father, reveal who You are.”
Psalm 96 is a call to see the glory and splendor and wonder of God. Just look at a brief list of the words used in the Psalm – sing, praise, salvation, glory, marvelous deeds, great, worthy, feared, splendor, majesty, strength, worship, holiness, tremble, rejoice, be glad, resound, be jubilant, righteousness. Or to summarize, “Hallowed be Your name.”
Prayer
Practice using the Lord’s Prayer as an outline for your prayer today, and use Psalm 96 as the actual prayer for “Hallowed be Your name.”
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