Praying the Names of God - May 17
From Praying the Names of Jesus Week Twenty-Two, Day Five
The Name
Like the Father, Jesus is God. He always was, always is, and always will be. But unlike the Father, Jesus is also a human being. Though charged with blasphemy and crucified for claiming to be one with the Father, Jesus' resurrection validates his claim to be God's Son in a unique way. When we confess our belief that Jesus is the Son of God, we share in the love the Father has for the Son, becoming adopted children of God.
Though Jesus was the Son of God, he was also the Son of Man, a title that emphasizes both his lowliness and his eventual dominion. Near the end of his life, when the high priest asked him whether he was the Son of God, Jesus no longer avoided the title but said that he would one day "see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven" (Matthew 26:64).
When you pray to Jesus as Son of God and Son of Man, you are praying to the One who is your Brother and your Lord.
Key Scripture
"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven." Matthew 16:15-17
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Friday
Promises Associated with His Name
Few things are as hard in this world as growing up without a family. What must it be like to live without the sense that you are deeply connected to other human beings who will stand by you no matter what? I remember waiting for a flight to arrive at Detroit Metro Airport a few years ago. Several families were also waiting at the gate. They seemed tense, expectant. It didn't take long to realize just who they were waiting for. Six little black-haired babies were carried off the plane, lovingly cradled in the arms of a stranger who had watched over them during their long journey from South Korea to America. Now each infant was tenderly transferred into the arms of a waiting parent. The families were jubilant — the mothers teary-eyed, the children jumping up and down for a closer look at their new brother or sister, the fathers grinning broadly.
The scene I was privileged to witness is an image of the rejoicing that goes on in heaven whenever one of us crosses over from darkness to light, placing our faith in Jesus as God's Son. Today as you consider what Christ has done for you, imagine the rejoicing that went on in heaven when God changed your status from that of a spiritual orphan to a beloved son or daughter, no longer a slave but an heir to all of his promises.
Promises in Scripture
"I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." 2 Corinthians 6:18
But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir. Galatians 4:4-7
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. Romans 8:28-30
For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. Matthew 16:27
Continued Prayer and Praise
Consider why Jesus was killed. (Matthew 26:63-66; John 10:22-33)
Listen to God's Son. (Mark 9:2-7; Hebrews 1:1-5)
Understand that Jesus came to suffer and serve. (Matthew 12:38-42;16:24-26; 20:20-28)
Eagerly await the coming of the Son of Man. (Matthew 25:31-33; 26:64)
Remember why God sent his Son. (John 3:16-17)
Trust in the promises of God's Son. (John 14:12-14; Ephesians 1:3-6)
Act like a child of God. (Romans 8:14-17; Philippians 2:14-15; Hebrews 12:4-11)
Remember that the Son of Man is reigning in heaven. (Daniel 7:13-14, Revelation 1:12-18)
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Meet your spiritual ancestors as they really were: Less Than Perfect: Broken Men and Women of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them.
