THE Name
The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run to it and are safe. (Proverbs 18:10, NKJV)
Names are not only a means of identifying someone or something, but they also represent what others learn to expect from the thing or the individual. When we hear the mention of a meal that we like, our minds and emotions are drawn to the expectation of a great experience to be enjoyed. Likewise, the mention of someone’s name gives us some kind of emotion or expectation depending on how we have experienced the person, for example, a child when crying usually calls on the name of the mother, ‘mum’ is usually the first word which comes from a child in distress. The child when calling the mother is expecting understanding and help from what the situation is, the mother represents a source of solace for the child and this intrinsic expectation is communicated simply by the name the child calls. By calling the mother or someone else’s name, the child is inviting the bearer of that name to their situation, it is a specific invitation to that individual who carries the specific name. Some names are common so that many people respond to the same name, but when we need a particular individual, then we need to call the specific and unique name that only he/she can respond to.
In the same manner, the name that we call tells of the expectation that we are holding whether consciously or unconsciously. The person who answers to the name we call whether known to him/her or not has the responsibility to respond in line with the expectation of the call. This suggests that there is a relationship between the person being called and the caller – the clarity of the expectation is determined by the relationship between the two. It is not possible for a total stranger to understand what is expected by someone calling him/her, at times, we might even call them the wrong name because we are not acquainted with them. While it is possible that people or things do not respond to our expectation of them, but this is not the case with God. Our reference verse clearly informs us that when we call the name of the Lord, we are assured of His protection; His name is a tower of strength and security. We however have a responsibility to know God even as we seek to find His covering and guidance, we can only call on Him whom we have known and believed in (Romans 10:14). This reminds us to share the gospel of salvation that more people would know the Lord and in so doing, gain opportunity to call on Him too. God is a refuge to the righteous, our expectation of safety in God is premised on our faith in Him.
God in introducing Himself to Moses said, “I am who I am” (Exodus 3:14) which gives us confidence in His unchanging nature as well as His availability to be who we need Him to be in our situations. The bible gives us different names of God, all meant to help us call Him by the name that fits our need at that time. Beloved, we know that the more specific the name, the faster we get the response from the person we are calling. May I suggest that we seek to know the names of God so that we address Him appropriately in line with our expectation, examples: He is Jehovah Jireh when we need provision (Genesis 22:14); Jehovah Rapha when we need healing (Exodus 15:26); Jehovah Shalom when we need His peace (Judges 6:24); Jehovah Raah when we need shepherding (Psalm 23:1); Jehovah Tsidkenu our righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6); Jehovah El Roi an assurance that He sees us in our situations (Genesis 16:13), He is our Father, Abba (Romans 8:15). Brethren, there is more for us to learn and to practice knowing Him by His name. He has given us a name for every need, let us call on Him and find our refuge and help.
Thoughts:
In what name is your refuge?
Which names of God are you often calling on? What does this tell you of your life?
What is your experience of calling God’s name in your situation?