I’m not just talking about asking God to show up in His presence and power, but are you seeking Him to specifically accomplish His PURPOSE in your life?
Your name is important. So is the NAME of the Lord.
At birth, you were given a name and it had a purpose attached to it. It enabled your parents to identify you as a unique individual within your family or tribe. Your name is what enables you to identify yourself to others and gives them a word by which to call you and affirm your existence within their world.
In the ancient world, giving someone or something a name played a BIG part in recognizing its existence in the world. Something existed when it had a function or role to play. In Mesopotamia, for example, one way this was accomplished was by giving something a name, for a name would designate its function or role in the world.[1]
† In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1 NIV
When God created the heavens and the earth, and everything in it, the Hebrew word for create that is used to describe what God is doing, doesn’t have an exact equivalent in English.
To create in English, means simply to bring into existence.
In Hebrew, however, the word to create entails giving something a role, purpose or function in an ordered system.
The word to create in Hebrew emphasizes God acting with purpose and giving things a purpose rather than just a material existence.[2]
While your parents may have given you a material existence, God is the one who gives you a functional existence, a purpose and role to play in the world we live in.
To take this a step further . . .
When we call upon NAME of the Lord, we are not only asking for God show up in His presence and power, but to also accomplish His PURPOSE in our lives!
It’s a role no one else, but God is meant to play in our lives. God showing up in His presence and power, and fulfilling His purpose in our lives is the Lord’s counter-attack to every fear we would ever face in life.
God called Abraham
When God first called Abraham by name, originally his name was Abram.
† Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Genesis 12:1-3 NRSV
In response to the call of God upon his life, Abram left his country and traveled as a stranger into a foreign land. Noteworthy, however, is that in most of the places where he stopped to camp, he built an altar to call upon the name of the Lord through thanksgiving, praise and worship!
Famine and Fear
When a famine arose in the land Abram was now living, he decided to go to Egypt with his wife Sarah. When he arrived in Egypt, however, he did not build an altar nor call upon the NAME of the Lord. As a result, there was an increase of fear in his life which began to influence his decisions.
When Pharaoh saw how beautiful Sarah was and asked about her, rather than saying that Sarah was his wife, Abram said that she was his sister. It was a statement made in fear and the consequences would have been disastrous had not God intervened to deliver Sarah from the predicament Abram’s lie put her in. You can read the full account of the story in Genesis 12:10-20.
The point of the story is that . . .
We don’t make the best decisions out of fear!
The good news is that God has a solution for when we’re feeling fearful.
† The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run into it and are safe.
Proverbs 18:10 NRSV
In the ancient world, one measure of a king or ruler’s greatness was the extent of their building activity. Ruler’s were known to boast about things they built like citadels, gates, towers, temples and reservoirs. A ruler’s strength and good fortune were seen in the tangible things they built, or in the ability of an enemy to destroy those symbols of power.
A ruler’s tower was a symbol of strength.
It served a strategic purpose for a watchman to foresee an enemy attack and sound the alarm. It also served as a place of safety, a fortress and refuge in times of trouble.
King David said, . . .
† The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
Psalms 18:2 NRSV
The PROBLEM
The problem is that not every one has access to this place of safety in times of trouble. Only those who have received a righteousness that comes from God by faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.
The Apostle Paul explained his pursuit of getting right with God when said, . . .
† ”I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.“
Philippians 3:9 NLT
For the righteous, the NAME of the Lord is like a strong tower they can run into and find safety. When the righteous call upon the NAME of the Lord, they are literally calling upon the Lord to not only come in His presence and power, but to also fulfill His purpose within their lives.
Think about this:
The name of Jesus means rescuer, savior and deliverer!
When we call upon the NAME of Jesus we are literally calling upon the Lord to reveal His presence and power for the purpose of rescuing, saving and delivering us from the troubling times we may find ourselves in.
Let me encourage you today:
Are you going through a troubling time right now? When was the last time you called upon the NAME of the Lord? Do you believe there’s STILL power in the name of Jesus?
God doesn’t have a plan B. Jesus has always been God’s first and only option for dealing with everything that is wrong in this world and making it right.
† There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.
Acts 4:12 NLT
There’s still hope, healing and power in the name of Jesus! God’s grace, mercy and forgiveness can still be found in Jesus’ mighty name!
While we can’t avoid going through times of trouble and great difficulty during our lifetime here on earth, we can still call upon the mighty name of Jesus!
If you don’t know Jesus, follow Him today!
If you do know Him, call upon His NAME with thanksgiving, praise and worship! Ask the Lord to not only give you a greater sense of His presence and power, but to also specifically fulfill His purpose in your life.
When this becomes habit, you’ll experience less fear because your faith will be growing. You’ll experience a greater sense of His presence and power, along with a greater amount of confidence that the Lord will indeed, fulfill His prevailing purpose in your life!
Let me PRAY for you!
Almighty God, your name is like a strong tower that the righteous run into and are safe. For the troubling times we may find ourselves in today, we call upon Your name right now.
Lord, for those who may be listening or reading this prayer today, reveal your presence, your power, and fulfill your prevailing purpose in their lives, for your glory! In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, we pray. Amen!
[1] Walton, John H, et al. NRSV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture. Zondervan, 2019. 4.
[2] Ibid. xx.
Comments
2 responses to “When Was the Last Time You Called Upon the NAME of the Lord?”
This is great. Blessed be the Name of our Lord God! King Jesus
Thank you, brother Joseph. God is good!