Bless God’s Holy Name

THESE WORDS FROM THE Psalmist David should provide us great comfort and assurance. They allude to the Heavenly Father’s plan to remove the curse of sin and death presently upon mankind. This, God promised, would be accomplished through the “seed,” or offspring, of the first woman, Eve. God said to Satan, who had appeared to Eve as a serpent, “I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise [Hebrew meaning: crush] thy head.” (Gen. 3:15) God fulfilled his promise when he sent into the world his “only begotten Son,” who was the “seed” of promise, “made of a woman.”—John 3:16; Gal. 3:16; 4:4

Realizing that we have been redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus, as followers of Christ we should have a keen desire to show our love for him and the Heavenly Father, and as our title says, to bless his holy name. Instilled within us also should be the desire to keep his commands, for indeed, obedience to the Lord is the way in which we show our love for him. Jesus said, “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father.”—John 14:21

We have much cause for peace and contentment in the realization of God’s redemptive work on our behalf through Christ. His continual grace, wisdom and care are exercised towards us, and such experiences as he permits are those which are best for our eternal spiritual welfare. God’s grace to us was manifest in great measure in that we have received forgiveness of sins. Speaking of Christ, Paul said, “We have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.” (Eph. 1:7) Claiming the prophetic words of Isaiah, we can say, “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness.”—Isa. 61:10

If we have entered into a covenant relationship with God through sacrifice, he invites us to confide in him as children and speak to him in prayer of all that concerns us. He invites us to “come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb. 4:16) The Apostle Paul also reminds us: “In every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God,” to which the Apostle Peter adds, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”—Phil. 4:6; I Pet. 5:7

To properly bless God’s holy name through prayer requires that we follow the guidance provided in the Scriptures concerning this wonderful privilege. First, we recognize Jesus as the only means of access to the Father. (John 14:14) We also have Jesus’ model prayer, from which we can properly make our petitions. (Matt. 6:9-13) We are urged to be “instant in prayer,” to “pray, and not to faint,” and to “pray without ceasing.”—Rom. 12:12; Luke 18:1; I Thess. 5:17

In the last two verses of our lesson the psalmist states, “The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, … To such as keep his covenant, and remember his commandments to do them.” (Ps. 103:17,18) What a blessing to know that God has “removed our transgressions from us!”