Day Twenty-Nine
Have you ever refused to reveal your name to someone?
Chances are if you answered, “Yes,” it was because you had absolutely no desire to establish even the slightest bit of familiarity. Whether it’s an over-zealous guest at a party, or a telemarketer, or some other person who is trying to insinuate themselves into our world uninvited…choosing not to reveal your name to another person is a way of preventing a connection that is unwanted.
Names are essential to relationships. Revealing our name to another person is somehow psychologically and emotionally connected with revealing part of who we are. It’s a step of unmasking and a step towards intimacy. When we tell someone our name, we are opening the door to being known.
What does it mean, then, to know the name of God?
It was to Moses that God first revealed his name:
“But Moses said to God, ‘If I come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?’ God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am.’ He said further, ‘Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I am has sent me to you.’”—Exodus 3:13-14
Moses had been tasked with something that seemed impossible—delivering the Hebrew people from slavery in Egypt. By revealing the divine name to Moses, God is revealing himself as the one who by his very nature stands at the center of creation, the one who is able to accomplish what to humans may seem beyond comprehension. He is essentially saying, “Take me at my word. I will not fail you.”
What an amazing thing that the sovereign and holy creator of the universe has chosen to reveal his name to us, thus inviting us into a relationship with him! Not only that, but God invites us to call upon his name, and he also promises to respond to that call. He desires a relationship with us that is built on trust and intimacy. He wants us to call out to him by name, to join our voices with the psalmist:
“Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”—Psalm 20:7 (NIV)
At the cross of Christ the depth of the intimacy God desires with us comes into new and powerful focus. The blood of Jesus removes every barrier to that relationship, and we are able to know him in a way that even Moses didn’t enjoy. And we have a new name by which to call him: Jesus, a name which means so many things: savior, healer, redeemer…friend. Peter spoke to the power of this name when under accusation for healing a lame man at the temple:
“…let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified and whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing here before you healthy. This Jesus is
‘the stone rejected by you builders,
which has become the cornerstone.’
There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.”—Acts 4:9-12 (CSB)
No other name by which we must be saved. As we make our way to Jerusalem, we praise God for his revealing of the name which alone brings us out of sin into relationship with our creator.
Jesus Your name, when the whole world shakes
Jesus Your name, I will ever praise
My battle cry every night and day
I'll sing Your name over everything
I'll sing Your name over everything
Read the rest of the lyrics here.
Questions for Reflection:
1) Here are just a few of the different names given to God in scripture. Which stand out or speak to you? Why?
Most High God
Lord of Hosts
Everlasting God
The God Who Heals
Creator
The LORD Our Righteousness
Sovereign Lord
The God Who Sees
The LORD Will Provide
Abba Father
Emmanuel
Christ
Lord
Redeemer
Sustainer
2) What does it mean for you to “trust in the name of the LORD our God?” How do we trust in a name?
3) In the Lord’s Prayer Jesus instructs to say, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed by your name.” (Matthew 6:9, NIV) Other translations say “uphold,” “honor,” and “keep holy.” Spend some time contemplating this line of the prayer and what it might look like to live it out in your life.
4) There are many hymns and worship songs that speak specifically to the name of Jesus as being worthy of praise. Are there any that come to mind as being particularly meaningful or that resonate with you personally? Here are links to a few:
All Hail The Power of Jesus’ Name
5) Read and reflect on these verses. Let them lead you into prayerful worship and gratitude:
“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”—Philippians 2:9-11 (ESV)