LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL
By Pastor Mensa Otabil
Sunday 12th December 2021
HOW EXCELLENT IS OUR LORD
Scripture Reading: Psalm 8
O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth! Psalm 8:9
Psalm 8 ends in the same way as it began. David returns to the excellence of God’s name. After talking about the wonderful role that the Lord has given us, he brings it all home to the name of the Lord. It is beautiful to note the movement and orderly placement of thought in God’s word.
At the beginning of the Psalm, God’s name is excellent because of His magnificent creation – in the heavens and on earth. At the end, the Psalmist is in awe of how God has elevated frail human beings to unimaginable heights of glory, honour, and responsibility, sharing God’s image.
This is a refreshing perspective. God does not want us to only wonder at the moon, stars and all the heavenly bodies. He also wants us to wonder at what He has made us to be. The worth and beauty of our lives shines bright with His glory. Consider how he uses men to accomplish extraordinary things. Reflecting on these inspires praise unto His excellent name for His excellent works.
We conclude with these three thoughts about the name of the Lord:
• God’s name must be precious to us. We must love the name of the Lord. We must honour His name and not take it in vain or use it irreverently. Our references to the name of the Lord must be edifying and praiseworthy.
• God’s name must be glorified in our lives. Since we are called by the name of the Lord, our conduct reflects how people see God. Seeing that we bear this awesome responsibility of representing God, we must be even more deliberate about our choices and actions. We must live for the Lord, so that His name will be glorified.
• God’s name must be known in our world. We must endeavour to make the people we meet know about our Lord. We must commit to proclaim His name and lead people to the saving knowledge of Christ.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, your name is precious to me. Thank you for making me a part of your creation. In Jesus’ name, Amen.