Joni And Friends Daily Devotional 15 May 2024 Message
TOPIC: The Name of the Lord
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” – Romans 10:13
I taught the junior high Sunday school lesson this week. I wondered, How can I inspire these kids to pray for their friends at school who don’t know Christ? We made a list. On one side of the blackboard we wrote the name of a classmate, with a short description: Charlie—stuck on himself; Christie—parents divorced; Stephanie—fooling with drugs. The blackboard filled up quickly. On the other side we listed the names of Christ: Friend of Sinners, Healer of Broken Hearts, Prince of Peace, Bread of Life, and many more.
We prayed with eyes open, each junior higher linking the need of a classmate with a particular and suitable name of Christ. Their small voices became large with confidence as they began praying, “Prince of Peace, I pray that Christie comes to have peace in her heart” and “Friend of Sinners, Stephanie is in real trouble with drugs…She needs to see her sin and see you as her friend” and “Bread of Life, Charlie doesn’t know it, but he’s hungry for you…Let him feed on you.” Thirty minutes passed quickly. Each young person was energized by this fresh way of weaving the name of the Lord throughout their prayers.
As the song goes,
There is strength in the Name of the Lord;
There is power in the Name of the Lord;
There is hope in the Name of the Lord.
Become familiar with the many and varied names of Christ in Scripture, then employ those names in your prayers. The names of Christ give color and texture, meaning and depth to our prayer language. Plus, it’s a way of becoming more familiar and intimate with your Savior. Finally, there is power in the name of the Lord—that’s good news for your unsaved friend who needs prayer.
Lead me to pray for someone today, Lord, and show me in Scripture a new way to express your name in prayer. In fact, I want to do this right now…
Joni Eareckson Tada is an American evangelical Christian author, radio host, artist, and founder of Joni and Friends, an organization “accelerating Christian ministry in the disability community”.