Name Above All Names

1 May the Lord answer you when you are in distress;
may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
2 May he send you help from the sanctuary
and grant you support from Zion.
3 May he remember all your sacrifices
and accept your burnt offerings.
4 May he give you the desire of your heart
and make all your plans succeed.
5 May we shout for joy over your victory
and lift up our banners in the name of our God.

6 Now this I know:
The Lord gives victory to his anointed.
He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary
with the victorious power of his right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
8 They are brought to their knees and fall,
but we rise up and stand firm.
9 Lord, give victory to the king!
Answer us when we call!

God created the universe and claims us as his own. God is the holy and perfect One whose name is above all names. No other name should be so highly honored.

God is also the one who loves us perfectly. God cares for us and provides for us each day. God is faithful and always keeps his promises.

Why, then, would we disrespect God by misusing his name?

I had a Jewish student who would write only “G_d” on her papers so that she would not use the full name for God. That kind of respect for the name of God may be extreme, but in our culture today people have often swerved to the other extreme. For example, the letters OMG have become a social meme. This is used like an exclamation point in conversations that are trite, even narcissistic. Using God’s name in such contexts is disgraceful to the one whose name is above all names.

One day when someone said, “Oh, my God!” I asked them, “What if God comes and calls you to account for that? You’ll be in a world of trouble then.”

Let’s give honor to the Lord our God in all we think, say, and do.

Forgive us, Lord, if we have misused your name. Help us to call each other to account when we do. Help us to honor your name so that others can see that we love and ­honor you. Amen.