Monday, February 22
The Names of Jesus
By Pastor Ed Hedding
Sing to God, sing praise to His name, extol Him who rides on the clouds—His name is the LORD—and rejoice before Him. Psalm 68:4
George Handel, in his famous oratorio called “The Messiah,” proclaims the names of Jesus as quoted from Isaiah 9 where the promise of a coming Messiah was prophesied. In that promise, Isaiah, by divine writing, gives us a few names of Jesus. “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
The Bible, with more then 200 names for Jesus, gives us a picture and a description of who the Son of God is. God reaches down to us even in our own language so that we could somehow connect in our humanness with the God-Man Jesus Christ.
The names of Jesus are far more than descriptive. They embody spiritual truths and an essence characteristic of who He is to us personally. When we need guidance, Jesus is the Good Shepherd. When we go through darkness, Jesus is the Light of the World. When we need spiritual nourishment, Jesus is the Bread of Life.
We need to remind ourselves that the entire essence of who Jesus is is beyond human comprehension or description. The one thing that sets Jesus’ name apart and above all names is that God has given Him a name that is above every name. It is this name that helps us understand His position as Son of God and equal with the Father.
Philippians 2:9-11 says, “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” That is why, as it says in Revelation 5:13, He is worthy of all praise, glory, and honor due to His name.
As we begin this season of Lent and we focus on the names of Jesus, reflect on those names and see how God has revealed Himself to you through the descriptions of Jesus. Also take time to pray and use the names of Jesus in your prayers. Just as we humans like to hear our name spoken by others, one way we show love for the Father is to use His Son’s names in prayer back to Him. Join us in this Lent season to meditate on and grow deeper in the one who is the Lamb of God who has taken away the sin of the world.
Challenge: As we begin this series, write down several names that are dear to your heart as you think upon Jesus. Pray those names back to God, thanking Him for revealing that aspect of who He is in our lives.
Prayer: Lord, we thank You for Your Word that has revealed many descriptive names of who You are and who You want to be in our lives. As we go through life, You are like a finely cut diamond that changes in the reflection of the light. You become more dazzling and brilliant as we see You from different seasons and vantage points of our life. Help us to revel in the names of who You are.
In Jesus name, Amen.
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