That They Will Know

“For You are my rock and my fortress;
For Your name’s sake You will lead me and guide me.” —Psalm 31:3

“For Your name’s sake…”

Take another look at Psalm 31. It is filled with declarations of Who God is and what He is doing in David’s life. But David makes it clear that God’s motivation is making Himself known. David understands that God is not doing all of this just to puff David up. Of course, in the process of being used by God to accomplish His purpose, David became well known as well. But David didn’t lose sight of where the real glory belonged.

In Ezekiel 6:7, we find the phrase,

“…and you will know that I am the LORD.”
Throughout the rest of his 48 chapters, Ezekiel repeats that phrase about 69 more times.

That’s not a coincidence. When we find a phrase repeated more than once in the Bible, we should sit up and pay attention. God is showing us something that He thinks is important. (And for the record, if God thinks it is important…IT IS IMPORTANT!)

Ezekiel drives the point home… God desires that we know – remember, confess, ground our faith in – the fact that He is LORD!

The goal of every judgment and every promise of restoration is that all would know that He is LORD.

When did we convince ourselves that any of this was about us?

I still pray,

“LORD, make me like You. Create in me a clean heart. Change me so I may become the man You called me to be.”

There’s nothing actually wrong with those prayers. Except that the focus is on me.

I want to be changed – which is good –

but even that desire can still be self-centered.

It’s a question of motivation.

Why do I pray like that?

I think it’s because I no longer want to be repulsed by the man I see in the mirror.

In many ways, that aligns with what God is doing within me.

But that can’t be the ultimate goal.

My highest purpose is to be made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26).

Be His “image bearer.”
Point mankind to Him.
Make His glory great.
So that all will see how great He is—
     not so they can see how great I am.

I must realign my heart with God’s.

God is not interested in making me great.

Like Paul, I must learn:

“…how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.” —Philippians 4:12

Only then will I be completely available to be used

“for Your name’s sake.”