Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you. – Psalm 9:10

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 8, 2013): Psalm 9 & 10

Special Note: There is evidence that originally Psalm 9 and 10 were one Psalm because when we combine these two psalms we find that each verse starts with a different letter of the Hebrew Alphabet.

My name is Garry. Garry is a variant of Gary and most people seem to want to spell my name with only one “r” – but that is not me. My name has two “r’s.” The name Garry was almost unknown at the beginning of the twentieth century, but over the next couple of decades the name became increasingly more popular, probably peaking somewhere during the depression years, and then the name went into a slow decline. It never reached the obscurity that the name enjoyed in the last years of the nineteenth century or early years of the twentieth century, but it was not as popular as it had been during the depression years (and just as a side note, the name has never cracked the list of the Top 100 names in any year.) What the name means is spear bearer. In ancient times the spear bearers were the ones that stood on a ridge and threw their spears into the enemy line. Spear bearers were next to useless in close fighting, they needed distance. But as long as they understood their role, they were essential.

Having said all of that, I am not sure that anyone who walks up to me and says “Hi, Garry” has any of that in mind. It is just my name. But in the past the name was important because it described who we were. Even today, in some religions, there is a name change that happens at the moment that a person enters into the faith. And sometimes you will hear the people of faith have distain for their “birth name,” describing it as their “slave name.” The name that they received at birth no longer describes who it is that they are in faith.

David’s assertion is that those who know the name of God will be able to trust in God. But David’s reality was that God had been given many names, but every name was given to him by someone who had experienced him. The name that God had given for himself was “I am that I am” and the intent of this name was simply to say that I exist – I am really here. But as people experienced the God who exists, they have also named him. Among other things he is “Jehovah - Shammah” – the God who is present – but he is also “El-Roi” – the strong one who sees me (I have to admit that this is one of my favorite names of God.)

David writes if you know God’s name, you can trust him – because the truth is that the names we know for God have been given to him by us. He has told us that “I am that I am” – I am real and I exist – and then as we have experienced that reality, we have renamed him. And through his names, we know him as the God who connects with our existence.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Psalm 11 & 12

Note: The VantagePoint Community Church (Edmonton) message "Inherited Traits" from the series "Little is Much" is now available on the VantagePoint Website. You can find it here.