All About Your Name

“O God, the nations have come into your inheritance;
    they have defiled your holy temple…
They have given the bodies of your servants
    to the birds of the heavens for food,
    the flesh of your faithful to the beasts of the earth.
They have poured out their blood like water
    all around Jerusalem…
We have become a taunt to our neighbors,
    mocked and derided by those around us.

How long, O Lord? Will you be angry forever?
    Will your jealousy burn like fire?
Pour out your anger on the nations
    that do not know you,..
    that do not call upon your name!..
Help us, O God of our salvation,
    for the glory of your name;
deliver us,.. for your name’s sake!
Why should the nations say,
    ‘Where is their God?..’
But we your people, the sheep of your pasture,
    will give thanks to you forever;
    from generation to generation we will recount your praise.”

“O God, do not keep silence..!
For behold, your enemies make an uproar;
    those who hate you have raised their heads.
They lay crafty plans against your people;
    they consult together against your treasured ones.
They say, ‘Come, let us wipe them out!..’

O my God, make them like whirling dust,
    like chaff before the wind…
that they may know that you alone,
    whose name is the Lord,
    are the Most High over all the earth.” Psalm 79:1-6,9-10a,13; 83:1-4,13,18

“Though our iniquities testify against us,
    act, O Lord, for your name’s sake…
O you hope of Israel,
    its savior in time of trouble…
You, O Lord, are in the midst of us,
    and we are called by your name;
    do not leave us…

We acknowledge our wickedness, O Lord,
    and the iniquity of our fathers,
    for we have sinned against you.
Do not spurn us, for your name’s sake;
    do not dishonor your glorious throne;
    remember and do not break your covenant with us.
Are there any among the false gods of the nations that can bring rain?
    Or can the heavens give showers?
Are you not he, O Lord our God?
    We set our hope on you,
    for you do all these things.” Jeremiah 14:7-8a,9,20-22

Though his misery and angst are tied to the rebellious, ruthless nations attacking Israel, the Psalmist is concerned mostly with his Lord’s name and honor. God’s reputation, His renown, His identity are what he longs to see upheld, and he pleads accordingly. His petition is less for relief and justice than for God’s name to be glorified. His claim is to God’s mercy and ownership, his plea is that the enemy would recognize His highness.

It’s natural in a self-centered existence to be focused on how I come across, what I am suffering, who is to blame and what retribution they deserve. But when the Lord takes center stage, His glory covers all. Intent on Him, we begin to look for and relish manifestations of His work in our conundrums, His kindnesses and wise purposes that reach beyond present miseries and help us endure.

What place does God’s name and honor hold in our daily concerns? Are we more interested in self-promotion than in seeing the Lord’s name exalted? How differently might we pray if we filled our minds with God’s greatness, power, grace, and glory when we first bow the knee? When we lift high His name, we will see it magnified in every challenge.

Lord, may my thoughts, words, and deeds be consumed with and extol Your name, that You be glorified.