The Psalms frequently exalt us to praise God’s Holy Name. To rejoice in God’s Holy Name. 23 times in the ESV God’s “Holy Name” is the cause of worship, singing and rejoicing. Psalm 97 is one of those. It says, “Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name!” I went to “Holy Name” high school in Omaha. I never gave the name much thought. To me at the time it was just some more religious gobbledygook. But in my personal study of the Bible I’ve found it’s extremely significant. Another person who found it so is Lydia Baxter. She was a bed-ridden invalid much of her life, she remained continually cheerful and patient. “I have a very special armor,” she would tell her friends. “I have the name of Jesus. When the tempter tries to make me blue or despondent, I mention the name of Jesus, and he can’t get through to me anymore.”
She wrote “Take the Name of Jesus With You” on her sick bed just four years before her death in 1874 at the age of 65. Throughout her lifetime she was known as an avid student of the Bible who loved to discuss the significance of scriptural names with her friends. She would inform them that Samuel means “asked of God,” Hannah—“grace,” Sarah—“princess,” and Naomi—“pleasantness.” But the name that meant everything to Lydia Baxter was the name “Jesus.”
Her words are still a comforting reminder of the peace and joy that result as we carry His precious Name throughout this life, and of the joy that awaits us in heaven. You might remember the words:
Take the name of Jesus with you, child of sorrow and of woe; it will joy and comfort give you—Take it, then, where’er you go.
Take the name of Jesus ever, as a shield from ev’ry snare; if temptations round you gather, breathe that holy name in prayer.
O the precious name of Jesus! How it thrills our souls with joy, when His loving arms receive us and His songs our tongues employ!
At the name of Jesus bowing, falling prostrate at His feet, King of kings in heav’n we’ll crown Him when our journey is complete.
I love the chorus: Precious name, O how sweet! Hope of earth and joy of heaven.
Chuck
“It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High. It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening, accompanied by the ten-stringed harp and the melody of the lyre.” (Psalm 92:1-3)