The name above all names

“God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Philippians 2:9-11 (NAB)

Jesus laid out His priorities to his disciples after He commissioned them to preach, teach and heal. He spoke about seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness. The greatest priority of all is to know the exalted and powerful name of Jesus. Paul reminds us that His name is higher than any other name and that every knee will bow before Him one day. 

We are all a Trinity, three in one, created in God’s image. We have a spirit, a soul and a body. Our spirit is the part of us that  communicates with God. We pray with our spirit and He speaks to us through our spirit. Our soul is the essence of who we are, and it’s the part of us that lives forever. Our current bodies do not live forever, but Christianity teaches that the dead in Christ will be raised on the last day with a physically perfect and incorruptible body, yet one that will be recognizable as ourselves.

There is a movie currently showing at the theatres called “After Death.” It’s a two hour film documentary of many people’s documented near death experiences, which occurred after a near fatal accident. Among the interviewers, were a cardiologist and a psychiatrist, and one of the many persons interviewed was an orthopedic surgeon, who had a near death experience, (NDE) after surviving a drowning accident. The film shows the differences and similarities among each person’s experience as their soul temporarily separated from their body. 

After hearing each individual’s description of their serious accident, how it affected their life and their family’s lives, it makes one wonder if tragic accidents serve a hidden purpose in a person’s life. Accidents and serious illnesses are life altering events, but survivors can still find an underlying lesson and a purpose for living after their experience, whether they have an NDE or not.

Each person who had a near death experience, saw their body lying at the location, as they traveled upward toward a light. They all experienced a brief time of heightened restoration, peace, joy  and wholeness which they lacked in their natural state of life. All of them felt sorrow in waking back up in their physical bodies, with a longing for the sense of contentment they had during the NDE.

A person in pain with multiple body fractures, had zero pain during his NDE. A little girl blind from birth saw and described sights she never saw during her natural lifetime. A man who lived his life with no faith, had a totally different experience, and I won’t ruin it by sharing the details. The beauty of his experience is that he recalled his childhood faith in Jesus, and cried out for mercy. God abounds in mercy, as the scripture in Roman’s 10:13 tells us, “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

The Lord perseveres in extending His mercy to us, and in some cases, even revealing it to a soul who is temporarily separated from their body.

Each person lived a very different life after their NDE. A man, abused by his earthly father had a brief conversation with Jesus, about forgiveness and love. He woke up with a new attitude and went on to forgive, love and establish a relationship with his abusive father. Most people returned to life with a renewed sense of purpose to love in a deeper way than they had ever done before. 

Suffering accidents, illness and tragedy in life is a tough subject to write about, but one thing we can all learn, is that there is another side to the sorrow and sadness in all lives. We are here to learn the lessons God is trying to teach us, the main one being that our souls live forever, and love never dies. God gave Jesus a name exalted above all names, and there is power available to us now, by calling upon His name.

God intervenes through tragedies to change some people’s perspective, if they were heading down a dark path in life. God will spare a life in order to save a soul. In other cases, people were believers with faith in Jesus, but God gave them a deeper revelation of His presence and of His immense love and mercy.

So, what someone perceives as a tragedy, accident, or sickness, is really an act of God’s generous grace, love and mercy. 

After all is said and done, the name of Jesus is still the most highly exalted name above every other name. His name is above the name of cancer, stroke, physical trauma  and mental illnesses. His name is exalted above paralysis and over any physical limitation that we suffer. Jesus gave us His own highly exalted name to pray in and believe in for healing.

His name contains a message of love, that is beyond our ability to fully comprehend in this physical body. He wants to reveal how much He loves us and He desires that we live our current life in loving others. Our salvation is dependent on receiving His message, and living by faith in His highly exalted name.

We don’t need an NDE to receive His love, or to seek first His priorities. We were meant to exalt His name by forgiving and being forgiven in our lives, as we nurture the only soul we have in preparation to spend eternity with Him. 

Lord Jesus, your name is above all names, all tragedies, and all illnesses. We speak your name in the love and mercy you bring to every heart today and trust you for healing, as you lead us closer to you. Amen

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