The Holy Name of God

The Lord's name is holy!  It is to be revered and respected.  He cared enough about this to make it a command. . .

"You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain."  Exodus 20:7

The third command from the heart of God is that we, His people, use His name carefully.


There is so much meaning in one's name.  It captures the essence of who you are, and when your name is spoken it bears the reflection of your life.  We are known by are doings, the activites of life whether good or evil, are seen by men and God.  And when our name is spoken our actions are remembered. 


Abraham Lincoln.  Princess Diana.  Mother Teresa.  President Obama. 
Elton John.    Moses.    Donald Trump.    Lucifer.           Jesus.

For every one of these names I'm sure an image of that person or something they did during their life was brought to mind.  Your name reflects who you are, how you chose to live your life, how you carry yourself, or make yourself known to others.  Your name is yours alone, and when the people in your circle of influence hear your name an image or work is immediately brought to mind.  There is power in a name. 


Your name also is uniquely known by your creator.  The author of your life knows you by name and calls you His child and loves you for the unique person that you are.  How we live also determines God's view of us, whether in the end He will say, "Well done, good and faithful servant,"  or "Depart from me I never knew you."  Our lives should reflect the love of Christ because we have accepted His salvation through the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ and have confessed our sins and given Him our very lives, then and only then will our NAMES be written in the Lamb's Book of Life.

We see the importance of our own names, but the name that is above every name is the name of our Lord.  When God reveals His name to Moses in Exodus 3, Moses asks Him to reveal His name so that the people enslaved in Egypt would know who had sent Moses. 

"I AM THAT I AM... You shall say to the children of Israel, I AM has sent me to you.  The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you:  this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial to all generations."                Exodus 3:14-15


Wow!  The Creator of the spinning planets and the tiny seeds, God of the heavens, and author of life has revealed Himself to us and told us His very name, so that we may know Him!  His name reveals His nature and character perfectly - "I AM."  Not the has been or will be, but the ever present.  The God who transcends time and space and all of the finite things that we try to wrap our minds around, is called by who He is - "I AM."

Then He amazes us even more by speaking the name that has never been uttered before - YHWH - Yahweh.  We read it in our Bibles as LORD and this name of God is recorded around 6,800 times in His Word. 

YHWH - a memorial for His people, so that we may remember Him.  A name given through the fire of a burning bush to a poor, stuttering shepherd.  A name given so the people could praise Him after He performed the mighty acts of freedom from Egypt's slavery.  A name given to reveal who He is and what He has done.  

I hope next time we speak His name in prayer or read it in His Word that it is done with all reverence and respect.  And when the culture chooses to take the name of our Lord and use it as an expression, we will cringe and be saddened at their ignorance of who He really is. 


"I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations, therefore shall the people praise thee forever and ever."     Psalm 45:17

I am ever grateful for. . .

63.  His holy name revealed to us

64.  Moonlight

65.  Peaceful evenings

66.  Two pets who curl up close on the couch for a little attention

67.  God's divine wisdom

68.  New Bible studies with women sharing their dark closets

69.  Songs of praise and worship that fill our home with hope

70.  Sweet candlelight

71.  Mothers who come to visit and help out

72.  Homecooked chili on the back deck for dinner

73.  The sweet smells of spring

74.  Easter waiting