Day 18 | January 23 | John 18 & Psalm 103

The Power of His Name | Pastor Steve Williams

Wow, the immense power of a name. Philippians 2:9 tells us that God gave Jesus “the name above all names.” That is a powerful name indeed.

In John 18, a contingent of Roman soldiers and Temple guards come looking for Jesus. When they come upon the gathering of Jesus and His disciples in an olive grove, Jesus asks who they are looking for and identifies Himself using the phrase “egō eimi”, which is translated “I am He” or “The I am is here”. He was using the same name He used in Exodus 3:14 when Moses was with the burning bush and asked God for His name. This is Jesus super clearly identifying Himself as God.

The power of this name is immediately clear because the soldiers’ response is to fall to the ground. THAT’S powerful.

Jesus is saying “I am God. I am the same God from the Old Testament. I am the same God that David wrote about in Psalm 103. I am the same God that deserves all of the praise that David talks about. I am the same God that deserves the praise from the angels and all of creation. I am He.”

Go read Psalm 108. David talks about the majesty of who God is, what He’s done, and what He deserves. Everything David talks about in that Psalm is the answer to “who is Jesus?” Whoa. It’s pretty intense. It’s overwhelming. One can see why it would knock someone to the ground.

Now, think about that name. Jesus. What does that name mean to you? If someone asks you “who is Jesus?” What comes up in your heart? What kind of power do you associate with it?

If I’m honest, I can allow the name of Jesus to become rote in my life. I can allow it to become so commonplace that it loses its power and impact. I can allow it to simply be the same as any other name. Sure, I love Jesus and I love to worship Him, but when I say His name, it doesn’t lead to the kind of response God’s name deserves. It certainly hasn’t knocked me down lately.

Reading this Psalm, and seeing what kind of impact Jesus’ name is supposed to have, I’ve come to the conclusion that I need to adjust my heart. I need to fine tune my approach to the God of the Universe, my creator, and the Savior who gave Himself over to those guards despite His very name being capable of knocking them over. He was that powerful and He still went to the cross for me. Wow. That’s who He is. That’s His character. That’s His love. THAT should stir my soul when I hear the name above all names. That is Jesus.

Prayer: Father, I confess that I’ve allowed Your son’s name to become weak in my heart. In my head, I know all of these things you’ve done, yet my soul no longer responds to Your name in the way it should. You are majesty and power and might. You are love and compassion and grace. You are Truth and justice and right. You are amazing and Your name should amaze my heart. Help me to fall in love with You again, that I should stir at the mere mention of Your name. You deserve it.