Psalm 72:12-20

¹² For he will deliver the needy who cry out,
the afflicted who have no one to help.

¹³ He will take pity on the weak and the needy
and save the needy from death.

¹⁴ He will rescue them from oppression and violence,
for precious is their blood in his sight.

¹⁵ Long may he live!
May gold from Sheba be given him.
May people ever pray for him
and bless him all day long.

¹⁶ Let grain abound throughout the land;
on the tops of the hills may it sway.
Let its fruit flourish like Lebanon;
let it thrive like the grass of the field.

¹⁷ May his name endure forever;
may it continue as long as the sun.
All nations will be blessed through him,
and they will call him blessed.

¹⁸ Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel,
who alone does marvelous deeds.

¹⁹ Praise be to his glorious name forever;
may the whole earth be filled with his glory.
Amen and Amen.

²⁰ This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.

“His name shall endure forever; His name shall continue as long as the sun. And men shall be blessed in Him; all nations shall call Him blessed” (v. 17). Originally, that was written about Solomon. But as we read this verse, we see that it also refers to Jesus.

It speaks of His name. “You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins”(Matt. 1:21). That’s what His name means–Savior. What kind of a name is it? It is enduring: “His name shall endure forever” (v. 17). I’m a student of biography. When I go to used-book sales, I buy books about old people–old preachers, missionaries and statesmen–folks who have been forgotten. Have you ever read an old edition of an encyclopedia and thought, Who are these people? I’ve never heard of them. Their names did not endure. In fact, some of the names in the headlines today will be forgotten a few months from now. But not so with Jesus. He has the enduring name, a name that “is above every name” (Phil. 2:9).

Jesus also has an enriching name. “Men shall be blessed in Him.” The names of some people don’t bring blessing–they bring cursing. You certainly wouldn’t call your son “Judas” or your daughter “Jezebel.” But Jesus has an enriching name. It brings blessing. We have been blessed in Him “with every spiritual blessing” (Eph. 1:3).

His name also is an enabling name. “Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only does wondrous things!” (v. 18). God enables us, through the name of Jesus, to do wonderful things. In the Book of Acts we find the name of Jesus on the lips of the apostles. “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk” (3:6). What a privilege it is to know His name. What a privilege it is to have the authority of His name as we pray and serve Him.

There is no other name like Jesus. It is full of power and authority. It is enduring and brings blessing and enablement to those who know His name. Do you know Jesus as your Savior? “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom. 10:13).

Different phases of life have different sets of fears. A newborn baby demonstrates fear of falling and of loud noises. Swaddling clothes, used for thousands of years, are still wound tightly around the babies of the Quichua Indian tribe of Ecuador. As soon as a child is born his arms are bound to his sides, his legs straightened in a neat firm package. When this is removed the baby feels insecure and cries.

Adolescent fears about popularity, pimples, and peer pressure give way to adult anxieties about responsibility and life’s major decisions.

As we grow old we are beset by the fear of aging, which may bring us weakness, pain, dependence on others, loneliness. We wake in the early dark and find ourselves the targets of many fiery darts of fear. We may think we are on guard, and suddenly a dart comes at us from an unexpected angle. We can’t cover all the possibilities. We dodge and duck, but some of the fears get to us–unless we take refuge in the Lord. The psalmist calls Him “my encircling shield, my glory.” No need to stare into the darkness, allowing our imaginations to torment us with the “what ifs”–”Now I can lie down and go to sleep and then awake, for the Lord has hold of me” (Ps 3:3,5 JB).