Greetings, reader! Good to be back writing to you this week. I was reading Psalms 91 not too long ago and began to ponder over verse 15. It states, “He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.”
“Honor him?” I thought. Why would God honor us? It really doesn’t seem logical to me that God, who is holy and perfect in every way, would honor anyone considering we are all but sinners. Rags. Dirty rags. Filthy rags in comparison to our Creator.
Imagine honoring something that you created? Imagine Steve Jobs honoring the iPhone. A dirty iPhone. One that malfunctions at times. One that sometimes doesn’t act when it’s given commands... just like us. Yet, God said He would honor us if we honored Him.
... for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.
(1 Samuel 2:30 KJV)
So, I had a few questions. I like to make sure that I am understanding what God is saying to the best of my ability (above all get an understanding, Proverbs 4:7). So, although I felt as if I knew what the word ‘honor’ meant, I went to Google to double-down on the definition.
hon·or
[ˈänər]
NOUN
1. high respect; great esteem
This is one of the definitions provided by Google. “Umm, God will highly respect us, if we highly respect him.” I thought. “Cool”. But I wanted a little more info. I wanted to know what ‘honor’ meant in Hebrew since sometimes words and their meanings can get lost in translation.
Bear in mind that I am not a theologian. I’m simply a girl in search of understanding. So, if this definition is incorrect, my apologies (blame Google and its recommended sources 😊) but the Hebrew word for ‘honor’ is kavod, root word K.V.D - meaning significant, heavy, or weighty.
I don’t know why, but the Hebrew definition took God’s word to another level for me. It’s one thing to highly respect me but to make me significant is another thing. To make me or my name heavy is mind-blowing. In essence, if you honor God, God will make your name hold weight.
“No, Quin. That’s your ego talking,” I thought for a minute. “It's about God, not you.”
My thoughts weren't completely off. All things are about God, right? But we can’t ignore what God said. He said, not my ego, that He would honor us if we honored him. Then I remembered Abraham and God’s words to him… “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you. I will make your name great…”.
If God made Abraham’s name great, and I am his seed (Galatians 3:29) why would He not make my name great too? The names of believers undoubtedly hold weight. 1 Peter 2:9 states we are a royal priesthood, a holy nation. Without question, names of the royal are names of significance. Their names carry status, and they are recognized amongst all.
Likewise, children of God are recognized on the earth. How could light amongst darkness be ignored? And our names carry status. Our names carry weight... maybe not to the world but to God. So, when you think of people with great names, you may think of Moses, Joshua, or David… you may even think of modern celebrities such Oprah, Will Smith, or even Bill Gates.
But from now on, if you are a believer and follower of Christ, when you think of people with great names... names that hold weight... you need to think of your own name. Because who else in the universe is authorized to give weight to a name besides the One whose name is above all names?
You don’t need the world’s validation. You don’t need to be listed in a “Hall of “Fame” or anybody’s “Who’s Who” list. The world’s applause or recognition of who you are does not matter. If you are validated, applauded, and honored by God, do you not have one of the weightiest names in the world?
But let’s keep in mind of what the text says. Honor God and He will honor you. How are we to honor God? I advise you to ask God for yourself along with researching the scriptures. But I would say that you honor God by respecting Him and His Word.
I would say that you honor God by loving Him, obeying Him, and sharing Him with the world. Honor Him by living for Him and dying to yourself. Honor Him by acknowledging that He is LORD of Lords and trust Him at His word.
My prayer is that if your name does not already hold weight in the eyesight of God, that it will soon enough. I can’t speak for you, but I want my name CRAZY heavy. I want it Thor’s hammer heavy.
(Those that get it, get it).
And I want yours awfully weighty as well. So, let’s get to it. Let’s bulk up are names by eating the Word and seeking God in prayer. May our names be great! May they be weighty... may they be terribly weighty.
That’s all dear reader! Have a wonderous day and week. ‘Til next time, be blessed!
Quin Arrington is a Christian writer and author of three books. Her literary collection is available on Amazon. www.amazon.com/author/quinarrington