The Only Name That Matters

“Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory [is] above the earth and heaven.” (Ps 148:13 AV)

His name is not one name among many that are excellent.  His name is the only excellent name.  I don’t think we truly realize just how holy God is.  We find a disturbing trend among professing Christians today. God is something we fit into a schedule.  He is a religion.  He is a thing we do.  He is part of our lives equal to some other parts.  We have lost the true meaning of the holiness of God.

It used to be families would order their week around God.  Not the other way around.  Years ago, I served in a small country church whose members were avid baseball players.  Their children were heavily involved in spring and summer baseball.  Sometimes, these games were on Sunday evenings.  I remember the men of the church asking the pastor to move the Sunday evening service to accommodate baseball games.  Then there are those municipalities whose professional football teams often play in the Superbowl.  Sunday evening services are moved or cancelled.  There are the college basketball teams whose fans are more avid game watchers than God worshipers.  There are family events, shopping events, or simply taking the day of rest to mean rest from God.  Whatever the case, worship seems to be something we participate in as part of a schedule, but not a relationship.

There was also a time when we treated the house of God as a special place.  A place treated like no other.  Our behavior, demeanor, and even appearance all reflected the specialness of the place.  There were no entertainment venues offered in the sanctuary.  The preaching was more expository than anecdotal.  People came to hear the word of God expounded with truth and passion.  Not some emotional story of years gone past to stir the heart to reminiscence.  In short, the name of the LORD is no longer the lone excellent name.  It has become common and ordinary!