The Name above all names

One day years ago, I was waiting at a bus stop to go to a prayer meeting for Muslims. I noticed some unusual clouds and took out my notebook to draw them, thinking they looked like shin, the Hebrew letter meaning “name”. Jews often use Hashem (“the Name”) when referring to God, whose personal name YHWH they don’t pronounce. A man waiting for the bus asked to see my drawing. He said, “If you turn that upside down, it spells Allah, the Arabic word for God.” (both letters have 3 upward strokes. I see Father, Son and Holy Spirit there.)

The bus arrived, and I didn’t find out if he was an Arab Muslim or Arab Christian. Both use the same word for God, though Arab Christians often use Rabb, meaning “Lord”. Scott Bridger of The Gospel Coalition writes, “Christians can and indeed should use ‘Allah’ when speaking in Arabic to refer to the God of the Bible... if we’re speaking in Arabic, we must work hard to make our audience understand that the Allah we’re referring to is revealed to us pre-eminently in Jesus Christ and that saving revelation of Him is found solely in God’s Word, the Bible.” He adds that in majority-English contexts, “Allah” is assumed to refer to the god of Islam.

The God of the Bible wants to be known but reveals Himself progressively. He didn’t make Himself fully known by His name to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Ex 6:3), but revealed His personal name to Moses as “I AM WHO I AM” * and as “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob…This is My name forever” (Ex 3:13-15). His name reveals the essence of His character (Ex 33:19).  He commands us not to make His name empty, of no effect (Ex 20:7 CJB). He placed His name on the people and land of Israel (Nu 6:27, Dt 12:10-11, 2 Chr 7:14), on Jerusalem (Dt 16:2; 2 Chr 6:6, Neh 1:9) and on all His adopted children (Ac 15:17). He defends His name (Ez 20:9). Those baptized into His name become His heirs (Ro 8:15-17, Gal 4:6-7). His name protects and saves those who profess it (Ps 20:1, 91:14; Pr 18:10; Joel 2:32).

The Father revealed Himself further by sending His Son to be the Savior of the world, naming Him Yeshua ** (Mt 1:21) which means “YHWH will save”. Mary declared “YHWH will save” every time she called her little boy Yeshua home for dinner; and when He grew up, He embodied the Father, the God who saves (Jn 14:6-9). He asked the Father to keep His disciples safe in His name (Jn 17:11-12), then they went out demonstrating the power of His name (Ac 4:5-12). “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Ac 4:12). The Father wants everyone who calls on His name to be saved (Ac 2:21).

Allah is a general Arabic term for God (although it can also be used like a name by Muslims). Isa, the name used in the Qur’an for Jesus, has no meaning in Arabic. Isa did not die on the cross, wasn’t resurrected, cannot save and is not God’s Son. What a tragedy not to know the only name that can save! (I’m not denying Jesus answers seeking Muslims who call out to Isa because that’s all they know.)

Exalt the name of Jesus from Colossians 1:15-20, Hebrews 1:2-3 and Revelation 1:1a, 8.

Declare that the Muslim world will know the power of the name of Jesus to rescue them and deliver them into the Kingdom of the Son (Col 1:13, Jn 16:23-24).

Pray for Christians connecting with Muslims to take courage in naming the Name above all names.

*YHWH or YHVH, pronounced Yahweh or Yahveh

** Yeshua is Yesous in Greek, Yasoua in Arabic, Jesus in English.