During the month of April, I’ve chosen to blog through the alphabet. Each day I will use a letter to share a Name of the Lord that begins with that letter based on Proverbs 18:10 and the fact that there is strength in the Lord’s Name. I pray you’ll be blessed and that you’ll stop by often.

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”

Proverbs 18:10 – NIV

Name

At the time of my granddaughter’s birth, my daughter wanted each grandparent to have a specific name. She didn’t want us to be “grandma” or “grandpa.” Her in-laws already had specific names, so our task was to find a name.

My husband’s family arrived from Russia in the early 1900’s and he called his Russians grandparents Baba and Gido. So these are the names we adopted. We still hold the function of grandparents, but our names are specific to us.

That’s how I view all of the Names of the Lord I’ve been writing about. Regardless of what you call Him, He is still God.

The name today is The Name. And this Name of the Lord could be found specifically in the place where He was to be worshiped.

We see this Name of the Lord in Deuteronomy 12:4-5 (NIV). “You must not worship the Lord your God in their way. But you are to seek the place the Lord your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name there for his dwelling. To that place you must go.” Israel was instructed to worship The Name in God’s way. Not the way the pagans worshiped. And that The Name would be in a specific place.

Later we see that place of worship as Solomon’s Temple. This is what Solomon had to say in his prayer of dedication of the Temple. “Yet give attention to your servant’s prayer and his plea for mercy, O Lord my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day. May your eyes be open toward this temple night and day, this place of which you said, ‘My Name shall be there,’ so that you will hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place.” (1 Kings 8:28-29 – NIV)

God promised that His presence would be in the temple and that Israel could pray to The Name in that place.

These verses aren’t the first mention of The Name. After Abel’s murder, we find this verse. “At that time men began to call on the Name of the Lord.” (Genesis 4:26 – NIV) Of course we don’t know how much time had passed from the Garden of Eden to this point, but it must have been long enough for the habitants of earth to have forgotten God. We find revival in this verse. Mankind realized their need of a Savior. And they called on The Name.

We too need a Savior. The Name of the Lord is still as precious and meaningful as ever. We are able to find all that we need in The Name. But, we must call out to The Name.

Regardless of the name you’ve chosen for God, He is who He is. He always has been and He always will be God. You can call on The Name just as our biblical friends did and you can be guaranteed that He will hear you.

God dwelt in the temple in the Old Testament. When we choose to be a believer of Jesus, God takes up residence in our hearts. Our hearts become His temple. And I believe He speaks these words to us. “I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.” (1 Kings 9:3 – NIV)

I don’t know where you are in your walk with God, but if you need are in need of a Savior why not take this opportunity to call upon The Name? He will meet you where you are. And once you’ve come to know Jesus, your life will never be the same.

I am half way through the alphabet and still have plenty of Names of the Lord to share. Perhaps my favorite is yet is to come. But today I can say, “Oh how I love The Name!”

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Donna