Micah 4:5 All the nations may walk
    in the name of their gods,
but we will walk in the name of the Lord
    our God for ever and ever.

These first five verses are virtually a direct quote from the first five verses of Isaiah 2, so the question arises, who was quoting whom? My personal impression is that Isaiah said it first, but it could have been the other way around. That, however, is of no great importance; this content is certainly worth quoting! The way Micah says this verse might at the first glance seem to be conceit, except that it’s true! The gods of the nations are indeed constructs and deceptions, whereas Yahweh is the Creator of the universe. That said, those of other persuasions would certainly argue that point. What no other religion posits, however, is a Creator who loves us so much He sent His Son to die for our sins. Even Jews hang up on that, though they do know of Yahweh. The devil would have people believe it makes no difference which god you follow, precisely because worshiping anything other than the Creator is effectively worshiping the devil! The expression here, though, isn’t worshiping, but walking in the name of God. What does that mean? We glibly pray, “In Jesus’ name,” without thinking what that implies. Doing something in the name of another means doing it with their authority, in accordance with their intent and will. This passage in Micah means living out our lives in harmony with our Creator, doing His will on His schedule for His glory. None of us do that perfectly on this earth, but such perfection is certainly something to look forward to in heaven!

I’ve encountered this whole business of acting in the name of an individual or an organization bigger than yourself both personally and in my family. My parents sometimes acted in the name of the mission board they served, and my father often acted in the name of the university he served. For that matter, I spent two years in the US Army, and it was made very clear that I would be acting at times in the name of the Army, and even in the name of the United States of America. All of that was good training for the far weightier matter of acting in the name of the Creator of the universe! Now, as a missionary pastor, people project that onto me automatically. Sometimes I fulfill it, and sometimes I don’t. I want to fulfill that role more and more faithfully, but I can do that only by the grace of God and the power of His Spirit within me. That means I need to operate constantly on a more-of-him-less-of me basis, because I certainly can’t do it right on my own. However, He is omnipotent, which means He can use even me to get the job done, and I’m deeply grateful.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You that my cold seems to be so nearly completely gone. I do ask your anointing for the service this morning and the time at the nursing home this afternoon, that indeed, Your will may be done on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!