Psalm 54:1 Save me, O God, by your name;
vindicate me by your might.

As I have been reading passages centered on “The Name of the Lord” for the past several weeks I have been struck with how little weight we attribute to that Name. We act as though it could just as well be George, or any other name. The idea that the Name of the Lord itself could save us, as is expressed here, is totally foreign to us. I think we lose a great deal by that. Bill and Gloria Gaither wrote a song quite a few years ago called Something About That Name that touches on this issue. The song is about the Name of Jesus, which of course David didn’t know as a covenant name. Actually, he didn’t know the Greek form we use at all, but he was certainly familiar with Yeshua, which we render as Joshua. That name means “Yahweh is salvation,” and that certainly ties in with this verse. By degrading our appreciation of God’s Name, we fail to understand His authority, which David also mentions here. (The NIV says “might.”) This isn’t just an Old Testament issue. Philippians 2:9-11 famously says, “Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the Name that is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” The better we grasp that, the better we will exercise that authority in obedience to Him, and the more we will see His power manifested for His glory in our lives.

I have and I haven’t understood this in my own life. I’ve known the words, accepting it as an intellectual concept, but it hasn’t penetrated as deeply as it needed to. Right now I am faced with multiple issues and situations that call of the right exercise of the Name and authority of the Lord. I cannot handle, much less correct, any of them by my own wisdom, strength, or authority. I need to be so totally submitted and obedient to God myself that I will speak His words in His Name to accomplish His will. That will indeed “save people by His Name,” just as David prayed. Mouthing formulas just doesn’t cut it, but even words that seem formulaic, when spoken in true submission and obedience to the One who holds all authority and power, break every fetter and save people indeed.

Father, You know the situations that are on my heart, and You care about them even more than I do. Thank You for the moment You gave me, in the middle of writing this, of proclaiming the Name of Jesus over one of those situations. Help me be so submitted to You that You are free to use me as You desire, setting people free and bringing them into Your full salvation, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!