Daily Devotions
Psalm 54:1-2 – O God, save me by Your Name, and vindicate me by Your might. O God, hear my prayer; give ear to the words of my mouth.
The psalmist has an unusual plea: “Save me by Your Name.” How can God save by His Name? When the time came to save His people from slavery in Egypt, God revealed His sacred Name—”I AM”—to Moses (see Exodus 3:14). God is I AM, the One who exists, who is real, the only God. His holy Name expresses His eternal presence as the God “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8b). I AM is the God who saves His people, and He does so for the sake of His Name. Generations after the Exodus, God said to the Israelites in exile, “It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of My holy Name” (Ezekiel 36:22b). God also marks those who are His with His holy Name. He told the high priest Aaron and his sons to bless Israel with the benediction beginning with the familiar words, “The LORD bless you and keep you.” With these words, God said, “They put My Name upon the people of Israel and I will bless them” (see Numbers 6:24-27).
The psalmist’s plea is our prayer as well: “Save me by Your Name.” It is a prayer that has been answered. God the Son was born among us, true God and true Man, to save us. The Savior identified Himself with the sacred Name, saying, “Before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58b). He was and is I AM, the God who saves, but we know Him by the Name we love, the Name of Jesus. His Name defines the purpose for which He came. His Name means “God saves,” because “He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21b). When Jesus died to save us, His Name was posted on the cross above His thorn-crowned head: “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” Jesus the King died to save His people and was raised from death to reign in glory. His Name is now exalted as “the Name that is above every name, so that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow” (Philippians 2:9b-10a).
God puts His Name on us, claiming us as His sons and daughters as we are baptized in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised that where two or three are gathered in His Name, He is present among us. He blesses our worship with His presence and then sends us out to proclaim repentance and forgiveness in His Name to all nations. It is good news that must be announced to the world because “there is no other Name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12b).
WE PRAY: Jesus, help me to live in a way that will bring honor to Your holy Name. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler.
Reflection Questions:
1. Does your name have special significance? Why were you given the name you have?
2. Why do you think God attaches special meaning to His Name? What is He trying to tell us by doing so?
3. Why is the Name of Jesus the Name above all names?