“I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord.” Psalm 116:13
Two things, as I look back on my life, have had a major impact on my daily experience of the Lord. One is learning the secret of feeding on the Word, the other is discovering how to call on the name of the Lord. So, what is in a name? A name in itself has a meaning; the name Jesus means savior (one that saves from danger or destruction), or deliverer. But what really gives any name meaning to us personally is knowing the person that a particular name is attached to.
When we were little, “Mommy” was a name attached to a very important person in our life and we knew if we called that name she would answer us. If we were hurt and we cried, “Mommy!” she would drop everything and come running to see what was wrong and would try and comfort us. Just so, one of the things that gives meaning to the name of Jesus is knowing who He is, that He loves us and is for us, and that He is the one who saves us not only initially, but also day by day.
Daily, it seems, there are emotions or temptations and situations that we need to be rescued from, either inwardly or outwardly. Romans 10:13 says that the Lord responds generously, or is rich, to all who call out for help. “Everyone who calls, ‘Help, God!’ gets help.” We call and He responds. The help He gives is His very person, His presence. The Word says He is a very present help in our times of trouble. As we call, He gives to us the experience and portion of His life we need for that moment.
After all, Jesus has already lived the human life that we now live, and He fully knows about and sympathizes with our human condition and experience – He understands what we are going through, He knows our weakness. And in His person we can find peace and comfort, we can find courage, we can find wisdom, we can find strength – it is there if we will receive it. He is ready to richly supply what we need if we will just look to Him and cry out to Him. Our outward situation may or may not change but He will give us the grace we need for that moment. He will give us grace to wait and grace to go on, grace to trust Him - He will give us Himself, all that He is.
The Psalms are full of cries to the Lord, and full of praise for His answers, too: “In my anxiety I cried out”, “Then I called on the name of the Lord, ‘Please save me!’”, “I called on Your name, O Lord, from the lowest pit.”, “I sought the Lord and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.”, “He delivered me…therefore I will give thanks.”
The name of the Lord is a mighty name, a powerful name. He has given us an amazing cup to drink from, a cup full of saving ability, a cup that never runs dry. When we cry out, and keep crying out from our depths, “Jesus!”, "Abba, Father” or “Help God!”, He hears us and He responds. If we look for Him instead of for a particular answer we want, we will never be disappointed. Sometimes we can’t cry out loudly. All we can do is whisper because that is all the strength we have, or all that our environment will allow. But He hears the desperation of our hearts and comes to minister to our need. He is our Abba, our papa.
Two things, as I look back on my life, have had a major impact on my daily experience of the Lord. One is learning the secret of feeding on the Word, the other is discovering how to call on the name of the Lord. So, what is in a name? A name in itself has a meaning; the name Jesus means savior (one that saves from danger or destruction), or deliverer. But what really gives any name meaning to us personally is knowing the person that a particular name is attached to.
When we were little, “Mommy” was a name attached to a very important person in our life and we knew if we called that name she would answer us. If we were hurt and we cried, “Mommy!” she would drop everything and come running to see what was wrong and would try and comfort us. Just so, one of the things that gives meaning to the name of Jesus is knowing who He is, that He loves us and is for us, and that He is the one who saves us not only initially, but also day by day.
Daily, it seems, there are emotions or temptations and situations that we need to be rescued from, either inwardly or outwardly. Romans 10:13 says that the Lord responds generously, or is rich, to all who call out for help. “Everyone who calls, ‘Help, God!’ gets help.” We call and He responds. The help He gives is His very person, His presence. The Word says He is a very present help in our times of trouble. As we call, He gives to us the experience and portion of His life we need for that moment.
After all, Jesus has already lived the human life that we now live, and He fully knows about and sympathizes with our human condition and experience – He understands what we are going through, He knows our weakness. And in His person we can find peace and comfort, we can find courage, we can find wisdom, we can find strength – it is there if we will receive it. He is ready to richly supply what we need if we will just look to Him and cry out to Him. Our outward situation may or may not change but He will give us the grace we need for that moment. He will give us grace to wait and grace to go on, grace to trust Him - He will give us Himself, all that He is.
The Psalms are full of cries to the Lord, and full of praise for His answers, too: “In my anxiety I cried out”, “Then I called on the name of the Lord, ‘Please save me!’”, “I called on Your name, O Lord, from the lowest pit.”, “I sought the Lord and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.”, “He delivered me…therefore I will give thanks.”
The name of the Lord is a mighty name, a powerful name. He has given us an amazing cup to drink from, a cup full of saving ability, a cup that never runs dry. When we cry out, and keep crying out from our depths, “Jesus!”, "Abba, Father” or “Help God!”, He hears us and He responds. If we look for Him instead of for a particular answer we want, we will never be disappointed. Sometimes we can’t cry out loudly. All we can do is whisper because that is all the strength we have, or all that our environment will allow. But He hears the desperation of our hearts and comes to minister to our need. He is our Abba, our papa.
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