Zephaniah 1-3 / Revelation 10 / Psalm 138 / Proverbs 30:11-14
Have you ever listened to or done business with someone simply because of their reputation or because someone recommended them? Most of us prefer to have experience with someone’s good reputation or work before we commit to a long-term relationship with them, whether business or personal.
If my good friend recommends someone to me, I’m excited to connect with that someone because I trust my good friend. If my good friend tells me to steer away from a certain person or company, I do it based on their recommendation. My husband is a contractor in our area and for the past twenty-one years, he has worked hard to build a good name in the community. He’s a small contracting company but he has the reputation of having integrity and doing excellent work.
As we talked before, both in my blog and in my Word of the Week, the power in a person’s name. Our names have spiritual significance based on their origin and meaning. But there is also an aspect of having a good name based on how we’ve presented ourselves to the world. All of us would prefer that when our names are spoken, someone hearing the name will think well of us.
There is a verse in today’s devotional reading that grabbed my attention, Psalm 138:2. When rendered in the New Living Translation, (NLT) it says, “I bow before Your holy Temple as I worship. I praise Your name for Your unfailing love and faithfulness; for Your promises are backed by all the honor of Your name.”
Has anyone ever promised you something but then did not deliver on that promise? Or has anyone promised you something, then did exactly what they said they would and more? It’s the second one we can be assured of when considering the promises God has given. If He has said it, He intends to follow through and make it happen all for the sake of His Name.
If we read something in the Bible, or if we truly hear God speak, we can hold on to what we’ve read or heard and be certain of it coming to pass. Sometimes when we hear God speak, we imagine the answer before it happens. It would be better if we left the imagining up to God because what He has planned for us is always better than we can envision.
1 Corinthians 2:9 The Passion Translation, (TPT)says, “Things never discovered or heard of before, things beyond our ability to imagine – these are the many things God has in store for all His lovers.” This verse is what convinces me that I would rather ask, seek, and knock, and then leave the answering up to God. What He wants to do for and in me will always be much greater than I can understand.
We trust God first because of His great Name. His reputation is secured by his Name that is above all other names. His Name declares His good character. As we learn the way He does things, we come to trust Him further based on His consistent character and works.
