What is the context?
Jesus has warned against praying to impress others or relying on a large number of words. He now gives a prayer that directs attention to the Father. The opening petitions concern God's name, His kingdom, and His will. What the person praying seeks is shaped by who God is and what He desires.
Hallowed means honored as holy. The verb is ἁγιάζω, hagiazō (hah-gee-AH-zoh). Thayer's Greek Lexicon explains its use here as acknowledging God's name to be holy. The request does not suggest God needs to become morally better. It asks that He be regarded and honored as He truly is.
The request for God's kingdom follows the announcement of the kingdom earlier in Matthew 4:17. It asks for God's reign to come, and the next petition asks that His will be done on earth as in heaven. The prayer reaches beyond the speaker's immediate concerns toward the world being brought under God's good rule.
This orientation continues as the prayer turns to bread, forgiveness, and protection. The word our also places the speaker among others who depend on the same Father. Jesus' own prayer in Matthew 26:39–44 later shows the cost of submitting a real and painful desire to the Father's will.
How is this passage commonly understood?
Christians commonly understand these petitions as asking that God be honored, His reign be established, and His will shape life on earth. Wesley's notes on Matthew 6:9–10 and the Reformed Westminster Larger Catechism, questions 189–192, connect the words both with God's work among people now and with the fulfillment of His kingdom; neither treats them as merely an opening phrase before the real requests begin.
Where does this fit in God's plan?
God's kingdom is part of His work of rescue. Colossians 1:12–14 describes the Father bringing people out of darkness into His Son's kingdom, where they receive redemption and forgiveness. The prayer for His reign concerns the God who is already rescuing and bringing people near.
The purpose also reaches toward a final fulfillment. Ephesians 1:7–10 connects redemption with God's plan to bring all things in heaven and earth together in Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:20–28 describes the risen Christ reigning until His enemies, including death, are overcome. Asking for God's kingdom and will places the person's hope within that larger purpose.
What is our position?
Our study Prayer and Faith reads God's will as governing the whole model prayer. The requests that follow are to remain directed toward Him, rather than becoming a way to claim control over events. Our companion study What Does Prayer Look Like? points to Gethsemane as an example of honest asking that yields to the Father's will.