Names

My lips will glorify you because Your faithful love is better than life. So I will praise You as long as I live; at Your name, I will lift up my hands.  Psalm 63:3-4

The arrival of our third child is approaching. We don’t have a name yet, and we don’t even know the gender.  Our society values names, and I too think they are important. We named our son Jacob whose “wrestling match” with an Angel of God causes change and renewal in his life, and now at age five he is beginning to understand the meaning behind his name.  And although we had no idea what she would become, our daughter Vivian, meaning animated and lively , is already living up to her name!

Every act of naming has meaning. Throughout history, we have named places and iconic symbols after people to recognize their achievements.  But, what is the value of a name? As I consider my own name, I have often thought of David as an honorable man in the Bible, yet he is also a person with many flaws.  Names, specifically human names that is, will almost always cause us to be reminded of people for their virtue as well as their failure.  Thus, people in our world often become elevated or dimonized undeservedly. 

These verses are a clear and direct reminder that there is only one name that should ever be lifted up to a place of honor.  The Psalmist writes with conviction and passion – “ at Your Name”.  He is speaking directly to his Creator, God and Father and putting His name above all others. It makes me think…Do I have as much reverence for the name of God as I do for my own name or the names of other people?  It is my prayer for you and me that take time daily to lift up our hands to glorify the Name Above All Names because “his faithful love is better than life”.

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