Insert God's Name Here
Why do we keep repeating this one word or phrase over and over again?
Do you know what your favorite word is?
I do.
It’s probably your name.
Research shows that it is a psychological effect where, when we hear our name in conversation, it makes us feel welcomed, acknowledged, and understood.
Even though the other person is just stating your name. It makes you feel good (most of the time).
Yet, I don’t see people use names often in everyday conversation.
Then, when people pray, they keep referencing God, Jesus, or Spirit (and so do I).
Go look back through my posts here. You’ll see how often I do it in the “my prayer for today” session. And I don’t think it’s a bad thing.
But the question is, “why do we do this?”
Well, how are we first taught to pray?
“Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.”
We are taught how to open in prayer by addressing God in some way.
We are taught that something about God’s name is holy.
Given the research on repeating someone’s name I mentioned earlier…it seems we think that our names might be holy, too.
Names are important. They mean something. Even though they are just syllables and letters.
And, when we pray, we continue to call on, reference, and talk to God—it makes sense we call on the name of God as often as we do in prayer, especially when we don’t often hear an audible response.
It fills in the gap of hearing our own name back so often. Calling on a name over and over again in prayer helps us realize we aren’t talking to nothing or to no one.
My prayer for today
Our Father, remind us that your name has power. Remind us that ours does, too. And, Spirit, keep giving us a desire to call on your name as often as we want. Amen.
Remember
You aren’t praying to an empty room. You aren’t talking to the shadows. You are talking to God in heaven, the one who is truly Holy and Other from all of creation. And God knows your name, too. Listen for it.