The Name of Jesus

“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
(Acts 4:12 ESV)

Greetings brothers and sisters in the Lord,

I write today with a word of reminder for you to pause from the busyness of the day to give praise and honor onto your King Jesus.  I believe that there are times that we can find ourselves focused on the cares of life, or even the news of the day; being drawn away from that which provides for our spiritual anchoring and health – exalting the name of our Lord.  To ‘exalt’ is to ‘lift up’ or to ‘extol’.  When looking for examples of praise from within Scripture, we find from our catalog of Biblical authors, David stands out as one who poured his heart out as he lifted his voice in exaltation of the Lord God.

One such fine example to you and I today is Psalm 145.  To study this psalm in its entirety will serve to be true blessing to your soul.  This, I encourage you to do as you spend time with the Lord this Sunday or throughout the week ahead.   This psalm, as it is sung for in Jewish tradition, will serve as comfort and strength, as your focus is returned to a centrality of the greatness of your God.  In the opening lines of this song of praise, David extols God for ‘who He is’! This sets our praise of the Lord God Almighty apart from and above all, focused simply on His greatness.

I will (v1) extol You, my God Supreme and King. I will (v2) exalt You for who You are, forever.   I ask, have you declared God as Supreme and King over your life, making Him first in all things?   David goes on, declaring that God is to be exceedingly – greatly, exalted for His magnificence is unfathomable – greater than we are able to fully understand!  As we are taught that from one generation (v4) to another we are to extol the deeds – all that we come to learn of and experience of our God – we see that in the example of David, that we are to exalt (lift up, extol, describe) the (v5) splendor and miraculous works of God.  That we are to (v6, 21) speak openly, (v7) and sing, giving praise of the Lord’s (v8) abundant kindness.  Throughout this study, you will find that you are being called to give honor and reverence unto God, in all you say and do, because you recognize His position and standing – for ‘who He is’!

As you take the words of David as your own prayer of praise and exaltation of your Lord God, I encourage you to open your heart to the miraculous hand of God over your life.  Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever (He. 13:8).  That which gave reason for the men of old to exalt the name of the Lord is the same that gives reason for your voice of praise today!  There is salvation; there is healing; there is protection, deliverance, and restoration found as you call upon the name of Jesus today.

Believe – Call upon the Lord and you shall be saved (Ro. 10:13)!  My friend, God loves you.  In this month of Thanksgiving, let your voice begin to rise unto the One who is Almighty.  And as you declare His goodness, let us believe for His mighty touch.  May the blessings of our Lord be with and upon you and your household today, this we pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Sincerely,

Pastor Simeon Strauser