Whose Name Is at Stake?

Week 33, Weekend

Lori McDaniel

For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan . . . as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, . . . that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever. Joshua 4:23-24 (nkjv)

There is a story in progress and although you are a character in the narrative, it’s not about you. We are in the plot with others whose stories of following God were extraordinary. The risks they took were not personal; their name was not at stake. They took divine risks for a divine purpose; God’s name was at stake.

One thread woven into the narrative of God’s Word is that He used people to accomplish His purpose: to make His name known in all the earth. God didn’t divide the waters to keep the Israelites safe. He didn’t give Sarah and Abraham a child because they were disappointed they didn’t have one. He didn’t walk through fire with Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego so they wouldn’t be lonely. He did it all for one purpose: His name and His fame.

My seven-year-old had a goal to summit Mount Everest. When I told him about others who had accomplished this goal, he sadly said, “Well, there goes my glory.” His hidden goal surfaced. He didn’t want to climb the mountain. He wanted fame.

We must realize with certainty that God is at work and it’s not about us. He asks us to love, to move, to give, to forgive, to fear not, and to do the ridiculous for His benefit. When we live in fear to protect our name, we fail to live to proclaim His.

I want people to point to my life and say, “That is God at work!” We should each live our lives so out loud that our death would be a one-day event, and the conversation about what God did through our lives would continue to make an impact. Our name will come to an end; it’s the story of God that continues!

What fear keeps you from living with passion for God’s name? Are you so in love with God’s name that it eradicates fear? Remember, “Perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18, nkjv). Love His name. Forsake fear. Take courage. Live out loud!

God, I live for Your name and Your glory. Use me to make Your name known in my family, among my friends, in my city, and around the world. Amen.