Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.”
NL Daily Devotion for Wednesday, June 5, 2024
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Using the word “God” in expletives and expressions is so common it barely registers anymore. The initialism OMG or even OMFG (!) have been reduced to “Wow!” Or “Can you even believe this?!?” They have little or nothing to do with actual God or God’s name. We can be sad and frustrated about this all we want, but we can’t change it. How, then, can we come to some peace around it?
For me, it helps to realize that God’s name is not “God.” God is a description. Its capitalization just sets it apart from the many, many gods of the people living all around the Israelites. Capital-G-God is above all the lowercase-g-gods. But when we say “Hallowed be your name,” we are reaching for something higher, broader, and deeper than just “God.” There is Yahweh. There is “I am who I am.” There are ways to name God, like Hagar did: El Roi, or “the one who sees me.” As much as internet vernacular abuses the word God, we can reclaim the holiness of God’s name, and use it only with deep respect. We can’t make anyone else do it, of course. That’s between them and God. But we can make a commitment to following this commandment of God’s by speaking loving names for God in all that we say and do.
If I could name God as Hagar did, what would I name God?
