Psalm 1:1

‘O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth’.

Reflection

Names are descriptive and sometimes evocative. The name of our church fellowship in Framlingham is predictably unexciting, but it does describe the kind of fellowship we are in a way intended to be clear—although whether it is clear remains in the mind of the interpreter. Other names can conjure images in the mind of the hearer.

The names of God have long been discussed, and there are several of them. When Moses was called to begin the task of liberating the children of Israel from slavery in Egypt, he asked God whom he should say had sent him. God told him simply, ‘Tell them, “I AM” has sent me to you.’ Perhaps this means that God is ultimately beyond description.

A verse from the Psalms implies something similar when it says, ‘O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!’ It suggests that God’s name is universally known and somehow wonderfully splendid. Yet, as with every name, how much it reveals of God’s nature lies partly in the mind of the interpreter. How evocative it is will depend upon each person’s understanding of who God is, what God does and all that God stands for.

The early seventeenth-century poet George Herbert wrote a hymn that has stood the test of time: ‘Let all the world in every corner sing, my God and King.’ [StF 57] He goes on to say that God’s praises must be proclaimed from every corner and that nothing can keep them out: praise comes from everywhere. But this does not actually describe God, because God is beyond description.

Psalm 8 is a wonderful, overflowing paean of praise to God. Over the coming weeks, I want to explore snippets from it in these thoughts. But what a way to begin! We do not start by trying to describe God, although later we shall speak of some of God’s attributes and works. We begin by saying that God’s very name is majestic wherever it is heard.

A Prayer

Majestic God, in these days when culturally we reduce relationships to a familiar level and have become wary of titles that evoke respect, we praise you for being just what you are. Thank you that your name alone is all we need to give us focus and to remind us that your guiding, all-pervading presence is everywhere and always. Majestic God, we adore you. Amen.