Daily Devotion 09 December 2025
- St Johns Evangelist United Church
- Dec 9, 2025
- 2 min read
Be my holy people. Be holy because I am the Lord your God. Leviticus 20: 7
READING: 1 Peter 1: 13-25
Our father who are in heaven, hollowed be thy name. Matthew 6:9
This phrase, from the prayer our Lord Jesus taught us, is a petition, not a proclamation. This prayer is a request, not an announcement. Hallowed BE Your name. As Max Luxado says, we enter our church and beseech, “Be hallowed, Lord. Do whatever it takes to be holy in my life. Take your rightful place on the throne. Exalt yourself. Magnify yourself. Glorify yourself. You be Lord and I will be quiet.”
The word ‘hallowed’ comes from the word ‘holy’. And the word ‘holy’ means ‘to separate’. The word can be traced back to an ancient word which means ‘to cut’. To be holy, then is to be a cut above the norm, superior, extraordinary … the Holy One dwells on a different level from the rest of us. What frightens us does not frighten Him. What troubles us does not trouble Him.
In 1 Peter 1:15, we are told “But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do”.
So we need to strive to become part of God’s holiness. By focusing on His holiness, we lift ourselves out of the things that bog us down and limit our effectiveness in His work. We also save ourselves from the troubles and fears of our daily lives.
When a sailor finds himself in a storm at sea, he knows the secret to finding land. He doesn’t aim for another boat. He certainly doesn’t stare, mesmerised, at the huge waves. He sets his sights on an object unaffected by the wind – a light on the shore – and goes straight toward it. The light is unaffected by the storm.
By seeking God – we do the same. When we set out eyes on our God, we focus on one ‘a cut above’ any storm life can bring. And we will find land.
Prayer
Almighty God, You are my Lord and my Father, holy above all else. Holy God, let my faith in You grow ever stronger, my life with You ever deeper, my prayers ever more awake to Your glory, my hold on You ever firmer and my love for You ever increasing; through Christ our Lord. Amen
