Encourage Your Soul by Praying the Names of Jesus
We don’t have to pray or say any name other than Jesus but knowing the names of Jesus, and at times praying or speaking the names of Jesus will bring added peace or comfort or strength. As you learn more about the names of Jesus, be encouraged to incorporate them in your prayers and meditations. This week’s focus is on the name:
Week #2: Jesus, the Light of the World
According to Jewish tradition one of the names for the Messiah is “Light.” When we think about it, that is a perfect and befitting name for our Savior who truly is the “Light of the World.”
“Again, Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)
Whenever the apostle John wrote about the Messiah he described him as the light that vanquishes the darkness—not the natural darkness that comes when the sun goes down—but the darkness that is due to sin and the spiritual forces of darkness that create strongholds and use hardened hearts and doubting minds to advance the kingdom of darkness over the earth.
The Bible affirms that when we believe in Jesus we are delivered from darkness and brought into the light. The light that is even greater than the light of the natural sun or day; but a light that cannot be extinguished.
When we pray to Jesus—as the Light of the world—we are calling on the One who can draw us from darkness into the light; who can shed light on our darkened situations; who can deliver even the most hardened heart from its darkness, into the light.
When we pray to Jesus, the Light of the world, we can ask that our heart and the hearts of others will reflect his light. We can know that through him all things were made and nothing was made without him. We can know that his and our enemy, Satan, loves to operate in the dark but Jesus the true light works in the light to dispel darkness and exposes the darkness of the devil.
There were many prophets that came before Jesus entered the scene. Even John the Baptist who was the forerunner of Christ, was sent to prepare the hearts of people for the One that was to come—but none of these people, not even John the Baptist could claim the title “Light of the world.”
When you Pray the Name: Jesus, as the Light of the World
- Praise the brightness of Jesus’ light
- Thank him that he has given you the light of life
- Confess the darkness that may yet hold you or that you entertain
- And ask God to help you walk obediently and in concert with the light of the World
For Further Meditation:
- Meditate on John 8:12
- Are you in a time of darkness now? or, have you ever experienced a time of darkness in your life? When and how did Jesus enter in to deliver you?
- You don’t have to be in darkness to ask Jesus to keep you from darkness,
- Remember to pray for those who are in darkness
Week #1: Immanuel
The name Immanuel (Emmanuel) appears two times in the Hebrew Scriptures and once in the New Testament. It is one of the most comforting of all the names of Jesus, perhaps because when translated it means “with us is God” or, as Matthew’s Gospel puts it, “God with us.”
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”—which means, “God with us.” (Matthew 1:22-23)
Through the name Immanuel we are reminded when our sins made it impossible for us to come to God, when our “garden’s “ no longer had the sound of the Lord’s footsteps, when our sins stood in the way and became a barrier between us and heaven, when our sinned threatened to kill us and had a hold over us, when our sins kept us from having an up close, intimate relationship with our Creator, God did something miraculous: he sent his only Son, Jesus to save us and close the gap, the chasm that kept us separated, cause the chains Satan had placed on us to fall and be broken. Immanuel coming to earth would change, not only lives, but futures and eternities.
For Meditation:
- Daily, remember how Immanuel has been with you and in your life thus far
- How is your life been changed, supported because Immanuel is with you?
- What does this title of Jesus reveal about his nature?
You might especially remember to pray the name Immanuel when you are feeling discouraged, abandoned, or timid in your life.
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