What Fuels Your Engine?

What loftiness of soul, what purity and elevation of motive, what unselfishness, what self-sacrifice, what exhaustive toil, what ardor of spirit, what divine tact are requisite to be an intercessor for men!

When we watch or read mystery or detective stories, the police are always looking for the motive that caused the person to do the crime. In these stories, and in our prayer life, motive is no small issue, and Jesus wanted us to get it right when we pray.

Motive is defined as what causes a person to behave in a particular way or choose a specific course of action. It offers insight into why anyone does what they do. As you’re about to see, having clarity about God’s motive as well as your own is essential to empowered living and empowered prayer.

Let’s first consider what drives you. When you wake up in the morning, what fuels your engine? Are you motivated by money? Love? Power? Fear? Control? Security? Fame? What gets you going? To live and pray “Hallowed be Your name” from the Lord’s Prayer (Mathew 6:9–13 and Luke 11:2–4) is to live and pray motivated by God’s glory. It means you want the Lord to be seen in all you are and do. “Father, let my life, my marriage, my kids, my finances, my career, my every decision bring attention to You!”

As followers of Jesus, we ought to be motivated by a desire to see God’s name exalted, or hallowed, throughout our lives. No other name deserves more prominence. Biblically, there’s no confusion or fogginess about this. Jesus prayed that His Father’s name would be seen with incredible clarity—as if in bright lights on a cloudless night and tall, bold letters on a sunny day.

Does God’s name shine this brightly for you? If not, why not?

1 Peter 3:15 says, “ Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts.” Peter is telling us, without question, to “Give God the place in your hearts that He deserves.” Does God have that place in your heart?

Bible commentator James Montgomery Boice made this observation, “If I were to rephrase this first part of the Lord’s Prayer, I believe I would say, ‘My Father in heaven, my first desire is that in everything you might have preeminence.’”

The Christian life that hallows God’s name and puts Him in the center of life brings satisfaction—whenever we obey God and put him first (see my blog on Reckless Strategy), live a satisfying life. A life filled with inner joy and peace despite the circumstances and culture that surrounds them.

The Christian life that “hallows” our Father is also a connected life. When we don’t hallow God, we drift farther and farther from God (and there are plenty of those people in the Bible beginning with Adam and Eve). Don’t let God become a stranger. Seek to walk with Him as you pray, “Hallowed be thy name.” Hallowing His name in prayer brings a closeness, a unique presence, and unmatched joy.

What is your motivation? What fuels your day? Are you excited about having a close relationship with Our Father, or do you feel you’re drifting? Do you have that unique inner peace that only comes when you pray and seek Him daily?

I encourage you to dig deep and discover what motivates you. If it’s not the shining light of a holy God, then take a look at the Lord’s Prayer. Pray it daily and see if Jesus’ words don’t change your perspective and motivation.