Hosanna! Holy is His Name!

My insides cringed when he said it. Sucking in a short, sharp breath, I realized that I would never grow accustomed to hearing Jesus’ name used while swearing. My head bowed slightly as my heart prayed, “Jesus is Lord.”

We know that God’s name is holy. The commandments given to Moses reveal that. If that wasn’t enough, Jesus Himself tells us that God’s name is holy in Matthew 6:9. In fact, it’s the first thing we state in the prayer He taught us, second only to professing sheer belief in God’s existence and presence. “Our Father Who art in heaven, HALLOWED be Thy name.”

But do we treat God’s name with reverence? After becoming deeply convicted about the sacredness of God’s name, I adopted the practice of praying “Lord, forgive them for they know not what they do” when I hear someone take the Lord’s name in vain. Sometimes they use God’s name to express frustration or to cut down another person. Sometimes I hear it in TV shows or in music. Sometimes the irreverence is more subtle, and His name is used flippantly.

A small act of knowing how much it hurts Jesus, praying in an act of recompense is a small and simple way I can console Him. Silly me – thinking I need to make amends to Jesus when He knew suffering at our expense and lived to defeat the acts of those Who slandered, told incredulous lies, called Him names beyond imagination and beat Him for NOTHING He did wrong.

A pure, holy, sinless Lamb was slain. The LAST lamb that had to be slain because sacrifices were no longer necessary. Our sacred Lamb paid the ultimate price for all humanity.

I have been in the Easter spirit since the beginning of Lent weeks ago. This season beckons me to clean up and out. Let’s add to that, walking this pilgrimage with our Lord. Today is Palm Sunday. The day when the crowds waved palm branches and shouted “Hosanna” praising this One called Jesus. They weren’t name-calling. They were name-lifting. They welcomed He Who they knew was about to change everything.

May we start this Holy Week with declaring the name that is above all other names. The name that heals the broken, sets the captive free, puts hope back in the eyes of the hopeless.

It wasn’t mere chance that caused the angel one night long ago to say to a virgin maiden, “His name shall be called Jesus.” Emperors have tried to destroy it; philosophies have tried to stamp it out. Tyrants have tried to wash it from the face of the earth with the very blood of those who claimed it. Yet it still stands.

And to top it off, there will be the day when every voice that uttered His name in vain or in praise WILL proclaim the name of Jesus – because in that day “EVERY knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!” (Philippians 2:10-11)

But, right here, right now, we can be an army of people who “glorify the Lord” (Psalm 34:4) by declaring, “Hallowed be Thy name” (Matthew 6:9).

May we start this Holy Week — intentionally loving the Lord intimately by honoring His name more profoundly. What a gift to give our Lord for all He did for us at Calvary and every day since then!