“…And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6
Dear Ones:
When Moses asked God to show him His glory, the Lord answered him by saying: “I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the NAME of the Lord before thee.” (Ex.33:19). Later on, at the moment when the Lord passed before Moses, He declared: “The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.” (34:6) In proclaiming His name, the Lord revealed the truth of WHO and WHAT He was, and is. The weight of this revelation is also revealed by His name. He is the Lord, the Sovereign ruler of eternity, but also, the Creator, maker of heaven and earth. When we go back and look at the declaration of who He IS in the words of Isaiah, we find an eternal weight of worth, meaning, and life-changing power for us in every name.
Certainly after hearing the Lord Jesus pray, the disciples wanted Him to teach them how to pray. It is very significant that the first thing that He addresses in his “teaching” prayer concerns the NAME of God: “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy NAME.” (Matt. 6:9) Why? The name of the Father represents all that He IS, and shall forever BE. In that name is revealed the composite truth of God in His holiness, power, and yet, love. To denigrate or lessen the meaning of that name, is to accept a thought that is not true, and thus, not worthy of the One worshiped, or prayed to. Paramount to all consideration of God, and the consequent worship of Him, is the truth of Him, represented by His name.
It was soon after Pentecost that Peter and John were going up to the temple to pray. There they encountered a man who had been lame from his birth, asking for alms. Being led by the Holy Spirit, Peter looks at the man, and says: “Silver and gold have I none: but such as I have give I thee: In the NAME of the Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.” (Acts 3:6) The man not only rose up, and walked, but began leaping and praising God. Why? Because of the power of a Name, that of the Lord Jesus Christ. The effective and actual power of that name was revealed in the healing of this man, not because someone said it, but because in using it they KNEW what it meant, and BELIEVED it fully.
Dear Father, there is great worth in Thy name, worthy that it should be hallowed by all people in every nation. There is also great POWER in Thy Son’s name, because He saves, heals, delivers, leads, provides, comforts and strengthens. Give us grace this day to hallow Thy name, and to believe in the power of Christ, as represented in His name, as we go forward in full assurance of faith, walking with, and serving Thee. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad
Amen and amen!!!