“Our Father in heaven,” Jesus taught us to pray, “may Your name be kept holy” (Matthew 6:9). We affirm today that Your name, Yahweh, already is holy because it describes You—pure, perfect, far removed from evil, error, and corruption.

And yet in praying, “May Your name be kept holy,” we acknowledge our part, as Your people, in revealing Your holiness to others. By our words and deeds we can either represent You well, or we can cause Your name to be blasphemed by the world (Romans 2:24).

God, we confess today that we have in many ways tainted Your holy name. We ask humbly, and urgently, that You right what we’ve wronged, and make Your name holy once more. We beg your forgiveness . . .

• For church ministers who have betrayed the trust of children. They have violated their innocence in Your name.

• For televangelists whose ministries have collapsed in scandal. They have ruined lives in Your name.

• For crusades and wars fought for the “Prince of Peace”—for acts of brutality done in Your name.

• For the coldness of some of our churches and the superficiality of others; for the ways we’ve clung to archaic tradition or run with the latest fad.

• For clothing ourselves in riches while the poor starve; for cheapening the bonds of marriage by relaxing sexual ethics; for pursuing success at the expense of principle; for the self-centeredness of our dreams; for the myriad ways we have refashioned You into a god who endorses whatever we want endorsed.

Holy God, we’re so sorry. We repent. Empower us to live lives like Yours. For You are pure, loving, and good—and You call us to be like You. May your name be kept holy. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Luke 7:36–8:3