“I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands”
1 Samuel 17:45-46
“What’s in a name?” Juliet asks in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. “A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.” The implication here is that names don’t matter but this is not entirely true. There is one name that matters for you and me today, and every day. And that name is, Jesus. His is the name that is above every other name. It is the first and the last. It was, it is and always will be.
Someone has written a song regarding this name which says:
His name is higher than any other; His name is Jesus, His name is Lord
His name is Wonderful; His name is Counselor
His name is Prince of Peace; The mighty God
His name is higher than any other; His name is Jesus, His name is Lord.
The songwriter obviously understands that there is power in Jesus’ name. It is the kind of power that causes demons to shudder (James 2:19), it is the name that causes every knee to bow (Romans 14:11), sinners are cleansed through his name (John 3:16), the dead are raised to life through his name (Matthew 9:18-26). When we cannot utter anything else, we can just say, “Jesus!” His name represents all that he is to us, all that he has done for us and all that he has promised to do for us.
When life begins to unravel whom do you turn to first? Your mother, your father, your friends, your pastor, your doctor? There is nothing wrong with these options, we are social beings, but first and foremost God wants us to confront our challenges, fears, shame, rejection, guilt and sense of inadequacy in no other name but in the name of Jesus our Lord and Savior. If we get the order right, we will discover the power in that name!
David was just a youth and yet he knew that there was power in the name of God and so despite what he saw with his own two eyes; that physically he was no match for Goliath, he was able to use his faith in that name to challenge Goliath. This bold move gave him victory over the Philistine giant (1 Samuel 17:47).
Elijah was just an ordinary man with no stated ancestry as many of the other prophets and personalities of the Bible and yet he tapped into God’s name, challenged the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah on Mt. Carmel, and won (1 Kings 18: 36-37).
Moses lacked confidence in his speaking and leadership abilities and did not believe he could lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. God promised that his name and his presence would be with him, and Elijah believed, rose up to the challenge, and succeeded in the task that God had set before him (Exodus 3: 11-14).
There is power in the name of Jesus and our faith in his name can accomplish great and mighty deeds. If demons can appreciate and acknowledge this power, how much more should we do so as children of God? When God calls us to himself he is saying, “All that is mine is yours, and all that is yours is mine.” So what’s on your mind today? What issues and complexities are you dealing with? Jesus says, “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son (John 14:13)”. That’s a promise, and we know that God is not a man that he should lie.
Today, spend time in his presence worshipping him, call upon that name, the name of Jesus. Enjoy his presence and wait for him.
Jesus, your name is holy. Your name is glorious. Your name is everlasting. You alone are worthy. You alone are majestic. You alone are good. We surrender all to you today; our joys, our cares, our failures our challenges, our very lives. in that Holy and Precious name of Jesus! Amen.