Calling on the Name of the Lord
God regenerated us so that we can enjoy and experience Him. The most joyful way to enjoy the Lord is by calling on the name of the Lord. Some Christians think that calling on the name of the Lord is the same as praying to Him. However, there is a difference between calling on the Lord’s name and merely praying. Calling on the name of the Lord has a rich meaning.
First, the Hebrew word for call means to “call out to,” “to cry unto,” that is, to cry out. The Greek word for call means “to invoke a person,” “to call a person by name.” In other words, it is to call a person by naming him audibly. Although praying may be silent, calling must be audible.
Those who hear such uttered cries are amazed that Christians constantly invoke the Lord’s name by calling, “O Lord Jesus!” Some might say to themselves, “I have no Lord to depend on or cry out to, but these Christians have someone to depend on, someone to cry out to. Day and night, I am looking all around for someone to back me up, but all have failed. I heard that Christians have God as their fortress and refuge; they have God as their shield.” They will desire what we have.
Second, to call on the name of the Lord really means to cry out the name of the Lord Jesus. To audibly call, “Lord Jesus! O Lord Jesus!” is to “cry out to the Lord.”
Third, to call on the name of the Lord is to receive the Spirit, because the Lord is the Spirit! There was a certain brother who had a habit of bringing water with him. When he came to fetch me at the airport yesterday, by calling him I immediately had water to drink. If he were to have the habit of bringing bubble gum with him, then when I would call him, I would get bubble gum. Now, upon the Lord is the Spirit. Actually, He is the Spirit. Hence, when you call, “O Lord Jesus!” — you receive the Spirit.
Fourth, to call on the name of the Lord is our spiritual breathing. Lamentations 3:55-56 says, “I called upon Your name, O Jehovah, From the lowest pit. You have heard my voice; do not hide Your ear at my breathing, at my cry.”
How can God be our salvation, strength, and song? How can we draw water with joy out of the wells of salvation? The way is by “calling on His name,” “praising the Lord,” “singing a hymn,” and “crying out with a ringing shout.”
When we call on the Lord’s name, we receive strength and salvation. As the prophet Isaiah said, when we call upon His name, we can give thanks to Jehovah, we can draw water with rejoicing from the springs of salvation. This is the most enjoyable way to receive the Lord’s supply.