There’s are 3 parts to this verse: give thanks to the Lord, call on His name, and proclaim His deeds among the peoples. It’s easy to understand the first and the last parts, but really easy to gloss over the middle part. When I started to focus on that one, I realized I don’t really know what it means exactly. It’s not something I ever hear in my culture. I thank people and get thanked for various things frequently. And people’s deeds are “proclaimed among the peoples” all the time. Often it’s the one performing the deed who is also doing the proclaiming. We call that posting on social media. But I don’t hear about people calling on someone’s name. So what does that mean? I can call a person when I want to talk to them. But I don’t call on their name. I can use someone’s name to get special access perhaps. For example, I might get a discount on blueberries at a farm my cousin owns if I mention their name and how we’re related. I think this is a little closer to the intended meaning of today’s verse. In the blueberry farm example, my cousin’s name had power. (Pretty measly power, but still power.) By calling on her name, I got cheaper blueberries. God’s name is the most powerful name there is. So powerful that some ancient scribes didn’t even think His name should be spoken aloud so they abbreviated it in the old texts to remind people just to say Lord instead. But Jesus gave His disciples permission to use His powerful name. Kind of like using my cousin’s name to get fresh blueberries on the cheap, I can use Jesus’s name to accomplish His will on earth. And in today’s verse, the psalmist is saying I should use God’s name – not in vain though! I should call on it only when I mean it. I need to be very aware of its power and use it wisely while thanking Him and praising Him. Because of Jesus’s sacrifice, I don’t have to be shy about coming to God, calling on Him and using His name purposefully.
Dear God,
Thank you for allowing me to use your name, to call on you whenever I want, to use you as a reference. I am your child, and I am so grateful for that. Thank you for the mighty and awesome power available to me through your name. Teach me to use it wisely and purposefully and never to take it for granted.
CamDevo 