Overflowing His NAME

King David wrote Psalms chapter 8 and in it he used one of my favorite words in the Bible. This word is one of the smallest words in Scripture yet it carries great weight! David says, “O LORD, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth; Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens!” ‘O,’ what a small word, often overlooked and ignored but to those who run right over it, what a great injustice you are doing to the Bible. Before you can understand the word, ‘O,’ you need to understand the word, ‘LORD.’

The Jews in that day had such a fear and reverence for God that they would not speak His personal name for fear they might say it wrong. They were not even worthy to utter such a Holy name. (That is a far cry from the trash filled entertainment world we live in today!) In Scripture, when you find the word LORD written in all capital letters, you know that the author is writing the proper or personal name of God. Imagine not just calling Him "Father" or "Sir" or "King of Kings," but you call Him by His first name! How paralyzing that thought is in light of His holiness; how shaming that thought is in light of how carelessly we speak His name.

So when king David writes "O LORD, our Lord…" he is speaking to God directly and he is going to Him in utmost reverence. Yet why does he add on the little word? What is the difference in LORD and O LORD? Webster’s dictionary says that the word, ‘O’ is an intensifier. It is added before a word so as to draw on the greatness of it. When the next word is LORD, just imagine the monumental, no, the OVERFLOWING grandeur that the author was trying to convey! “O LORD, my Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth!!!!!!!!!!" I get chill bumps thinking about it! David goes on to say that He had set His glory above the heavens. What a great God!

It is a humbling reality to realize that we are mere mortals and God is LORD. How great is our God! Therefore let the prayer of your heart be, "O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name is all the earth; You have displayed your splendor above the heavens!"

Smile Always,
jason