Acknowledging God's Name

In my Psalms class with Sr. Mary Irene Nowell, I have learned that the Hebrew word for God that is often used by the psalmist means “I am the One who is always with you.” Therefore, in psalm 91:14, when God says, “I will deliver the one who clings to me; I will set on high the one who acknowledges my name,” it appears that what God wants from us is acknowledgement/trust that God is always with us. To which we generally respond, “Gee, wouldn’t it be easier just to offer a burnt sacrifice?”

Confidence that God is always with us is hard to come by. That’s why the psalms keep repeating God’s saving acts throughout history, so we will remember that God always comes through for us. One benefit of aging is that we can look back over the years and see God’s hand in our lives, even when that wasn’t clear at particular times. Nonetheless, at every setback—when our favored candidate loses an election, say, or we need to undergo some medical tests—our first instinct is to say, “Where are you, O God?” Most of us never seem to learn that God’s name is not “I am the One who makes your troubles magically disappear” but “I am the One who is always with you [even in times of fear, grief, and suffering].”

I wonder how life would change if we truly believed that God’s name is Emmanuel—God with us. I imagine we would worry less, have a more peaceful spirit, and be better able to offer comfort to others. Perhaps it would be helpful to address God as Emmanuel in our prayer throughout the year, not just during Advent, and especially when our confidence is at a low ebb—for God delivers the one who acknowledges God’s name.