Respect the Name

Wednesday, August 8, 2018

I have been blessed to have a unique name: Patience. I was named after my mother. She was named for her aunt. And I guess before that it was fairly common along with Prudence and Constance and Chastity and the like. 

I had something interesting happen to me at work several years ago. There was a young pharmacist working with me one evening and every so often he would say my name. I would look up from my work and answer him. “Oh, nothing.” His reply indicated that he was just playing with me and enjoyed saying my name. He continued this for quite some time. And each time I would look up to see what he wanted. 

Before he went home I took the time to share something with him. It went something like this:

You have taught me something tonight. This must be how God feels when we call His name without thinking. He hears us and looks up from what He is doing. “Yes, my child,” He says to us. And if we hear Him, we just dismiss Him with, “oh, nothing.”

Now whenever I hear people say, “Oh, my God,” I always think about this. It must really grieve Him that His Name is nothing more than punctuation for us. 

Shouldn’t it mean so much more than that?

Shouldn’t we show Him a little (or a lot) more respect than that?

You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭20:7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Father, show us when we use your Name frivolously. Convict us of this wrong. And help us to show you much more respect.