The Name of the Lord

I was sitting at the kitchen table in the lovely little apartment where the four of us girls were staying during our second week of prison ministry. It was, Saturday, our "day off", and we had enjoyed the rare opportunity to sleep until we woke up and I was savoring my coffee while I opened my Bible. As our parting blessing over the precious ladies, we had spent the previous week with, Faith had read Psalm 20. I had been struck by its beauty and peace and on this particular morning opened and began in Psalm 20.

"The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee;

2 Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion;

3 Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice; Selah.

4 Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfill all thy counsel.

5 We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the Lord fulfill all thy petitions.

6 Now know I that the Lord saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.

7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.

8 They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright.

9 Save, Lord: let the king hear us when we call."

Verse 7 struck me and I got thinking about the "name of the Lord". I began thinking about all the purposes of God's name. So I began in my concordance and wrote down all the uses of the Lord's name I could find. I found 15!

15 Uses of the Lord's Name:

1. We declare it-Psalm 22:22 "I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee."

2. We praise it-Psalm 138:2 "I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name."

3. We call upon it-Psalm 105:1 "O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people."

4. We honor it-Matthew 6:9 "After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name."

5. We trust in it-Matthew 12:21 "And in his name shall the Gentiles trust."

6. We fear it-Malachi 4:2 "But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall."

7. We ask in it-John 14:13 "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son."

8. We gather together in it-Matthew 18:20 "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

9. We are strong in it-Acts 3:16 "And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all."

10. We do miracles in it-Mark 9:39 "But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me."

11. We are persecuted for it- Luke 21:12 "But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake."

12. We work in it-Colossians 3:17 "And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him."

13. We are kept in it-John 17:12 "While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled."

14. We are called by it-John 10:3 "To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out."

15. We hide in it-Proverbs 18:10 "The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe."