Seven Ways To Make God’s Name A Household Name

I have been in homes when the only time God’s name comes up is when someone is surprised or scared. I’m not judging, they may just not know any different, but I think it’s wrong for Christians to get into the habit of using God’s name in such a loose way. I didn’t even like the omg craze when that was a thing a little while back.

On the other hand, I’ve been in homes where the name of God was used as a praise. My grandma, who passed away around this time seven years ago, always gave credit and glory to the Good Lord. You couldn’t hardly go through a conversation without hearing it.

This morning I was reading of The Message translation of Psalms (a pocket version I got as a gift from Kurt and our church student ministry group this fall). Psalm 8:1 caught my attention:

“God, brilliant Lord, yours is a household name.”

You may recognize the verse going something more like this: “O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!”

But I like the image of a household name. A couple things come to mind. One is that in the Old Testament, the people feared the Lord so much, they wouldn’t even spell out the whole name of God. They only used the consonants. They still talked about God, but they honored the name of God highly.

In other parts of Scripture, God was still God, but was very personal – he was the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob. They knew him. When Jesus came on the scene, his name always came up, and still does today. When we get to know Jesus, we get to know God. I think we should still talk about God with reverence and awe, but it’s also very personal.

When I think of household names, I think of famous people. Who are the household names in your home – who does everyone know? Typically the current president is a household name in the USA. What about Elvis, Superman, Batman, George Washington, Opra, etc. What about famous athletes or singers? Who are those people everyone knows? In your home, is God a household name?

Here are seven practical ways to make God a household name in your world:

Pictures and plaques

I’m always impressed, even surprised sometimes, when I see pictures of Scripture verses in businesses around town. I don’t know why it’s surprising to me, I guess I just don’t see it all that often. The dance studio where my daughters take dance is filled with these types of pictures – I think it’s a great witness! One simple way to make God’s name known is to display scripture verses around your home. Here are a couple we have in our house:

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Prayer before meals

Jesus prayed before meals. During the feeding of the 5000, Jesus looked up to heaven, thanked God for the food, broke it and distributed it. Praying reminds us of God’s blessings, gives us an opportunity to thank God and keeps us in constant communion with him.

Conversation, social media, and music

You don’t have to wait until Sunday morning to say, “praise God!” You can get into the habit of thanking and praising God each day with the simplest of phrases, such as “Praise the Lord!” or “Thanks be to God.” On social media, be sure your page is helping to make God known… share Scripture verses, praise God for something, give thanks to God for something. It doesn’t have to be a sermon, just a recognition that all good things come from God. Another great way to make God’s name known is to listen to music that glorifies God!

Attend worship and talk about God

Attend worship. Not in a legalistic sense. I know that you can believe in God and not be in church. I know God isn’t counting Sunday worship each year. I know there are some people who attend worship services religiously, yet their hearts are far from God. But for you, today, with your home and family, attending worship is about a grateful and thankful heart for all God is. Attending worship sets Sunday apart, as a Sabbath. Attending worship is an opportunity to help make God known as you are a witness to others. It’s a springboard into conversations about God’s love and what you’re learning and experiencing.

Pray before bedtime

If you have children in the home, this is one great way to make God’s name commonplace in the hearts of kids – pray before bedtime. It’s also a good time for anyone to recount the day and give God thanks.

Read scripture to keep God on your mind

Reading Scripture is crucial to a growing faith. As you are reading and learning from God’s word, His name stays on your heart and mind more often. If you haven’t already, download the You Version App on your phone or device!

Think when you say God Bless You or God Bless America

These are really common phrases that most of us glaze over. These are little prayers and they can help shape us, as long as they are more than trite phrases. Listen to how often they are said and give God praise for his name being lifted up.

Making God’s name also goes beyond the micro mission field called your home! Help make God a household name around the globe by serving in and supporting missions, by engaging the culture around as you live on mission with Jesus, by using your gifts to glorify Christ and by trusting God is using your life, right where you are, to proclaim his story!