Calling on the name of the Lord
The scriptures are full of the injunction to “call on the Lord’s name.”1 All too often, this phrase is interpreted as a synonym for prayer. To call on the name of the Lord means more than to pray to him,2 especially given that most prayers are focused on asking for what we want instead of finding out and advancing what God wants.
To call on the name of the Lord is to actively seek additional understanding and application of the Lord’s character in your life. To call on the name of the Lord is to fully live and apply the name of the Lord in every aspect of your life3 while fully expecting him to reveal more of himself to you.4 It is to seek to see yourself, others, and the world more like God does in order to enumerate changes you can make to more fully think, feel, and act as he would in your place. Calling on the name of the Lord is the means of obtaining outcomes through faith by actively recognizing situations in yourself, your family, and the world that are out of alignment with his character and doing all you can to reconcile them to his will. Calling on the name of the Lord means more than simply praying and asking for what you want. To call on the Lord is a matter of studying the scriptures, considering your experiences with God, and even asking those whose relationships with him exceed your own in order to:
- Find out the will of God,
- Make a plausible path to advancing God’s will, and
- Patiently, joyfully, and fervently work in a systematic and consistent way to advance God’s will.
We are instructed to continuously call upon the Lord for blessing in all that we do.5 We should do nothing without first calling on the name of the Lord by comparing our options for action against our model of what Jesus would do in our place.6 We are instructed to call “on the name of the Lord daily,” proactively considering God’s goodness, our own nothingness, and pursuing his purpose in all we do.7 Subjecting our choices to God’s will is not arbitrary compliance; long-term wellbeing is a function of alignment with the will of God. Calling on God’s name will result in universally better outcomes compared to any alternative.8
When you call on the name of the Lord, God will answer you, and through obtaining and living up to the information he provides in interactions of increasing frequency and intensity,9 you will come to more fully know the abundance of his peace and the value of his truth.10
Footnotes
- 1. But that ye would humble yourselves before the Lord, and call on his holy name, and watch and pray continually, that ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear, and thus be led by the Holy Spirit, becoming humble, meek, submissive, patient, full of love and all long-suffering; (Alma 13:28) ↩
- 2. The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. (Psalm 145:18) ↩
- 3. ...O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day. (D&C 4:2) ↩
- 4. For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do. (2 Nephi 25:23) ↩
- 5. Yea, humble yourselves, and continue in prayer unto him. Cry unto him when ye are in your fields, yea, over all your flocks. Cry unto him in your houses, yea, over all your household, both morning, mid-day, and evening. Yea, cry unto him against the power of your enemies. Yea, cry unto him against the devil, who is an enemy to all righteousness. Cry unto him over the crops of your fields, that ye may prosper in them. Cry over the flocks of your fields, that they may increase. But this is not all; ye must pour out your souls in your closets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness. Yea, and when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around you. (Alma 34:19-27) ↩
- 6. But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul. (2 Nephi 32:9) ↩
- 7. And again I say unto you as I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have tasted of his love, and have received a remission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the angel. (Mosiah 4:11) ↩
- 8. And now, my beloved brethren, I perceive that ye ponder still in your hearts; and it grieveth me that I must speak concerning this thing. For if ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray, ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray. (2 Nephi 32:8) ↩
- 9. But that ye would humble yourselves before the Lord, and call on his holy name, and watch and pray continually, that ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear, and thus be led by the Holy Spirit, becoming humble, meek, submissive, patient, full of love and all longsuffering; (Alma 13:28) ↩
- 10. Thus saith the Lord the maker thereof, the Lord that formed it, to establish it; the Lord is his name; Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not....Behold, [I] will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth. (Jeremiah 33:2-3, 6) ↩