Father, hallowed be your name

The first thing I notice is that the KJV has a much longer Lord's Prayer than the ESV does. There seems to be a lot missing. We have to remember, though, that the King James Version isn't the standard all Bibles have to meet. The fact that we might be used to it doesn't make it right, and it's just as sinful to add to Scripture as it is to subtract from it.

The important thing to notice here is that this model prayer begins with an acknowledgment of God as father and a recognition of his holiness. God is not referred to as a slavedriver or taskmaster; he's a loving father, not a whip-cracking overseer. Now, I know some people had very bad fathers, or no fathers at all in their lives, and they don't particularly want one now. I understand that, but it overlooks the fact that God is a perfect father. He is never absent or abusive. He sets rules, but he loves unconditionally,

The Lord's Prayer also recognizes that God is holy. That's all "hallowed be your name" means. To hallow something means to hold it sacred, to treat it as more important than yourself. To say something like that is to say that God is so great that even his name is too important to misuse. It's an acknowledgment that God is big and we're small.