Say the Name

"A sweeter sounding word,
   these lips have never said.
A gentle name so beautiful,
  my heart cannot forget.
Just a whisper is enough
  to set my soul at ease.
Just thinking of this name
   brings my heart to peace."*

Ah, the name of a lover is honey on the lips.  The mouth forms the word by heart and lets it escape with a smile.  It's mere sound carries a scent and a sillouette, as it stills the heart and flips the stomach.   It rings with desire, with affection, and with security. I'll say the name....  

There is a name I whisper to the fears of the night and with the sighs of the dawn.  Sometimes I feel a little foolish repeating it in the grocery store or at the dinner table "just because."  With this name we heal the sick and cast out demons.  By it, we implore the heavens and bring down strongholds.  Many are aquainted with its power and whip it out like a sword or an edict.

But how often do we whisper that name like the name of lover?  Does it escape your lips like a contented sigh on a sun-drenched day?  Does it fly like a kiss, gentle and warm, as you caress the memory of the one who loves you more than you've ever been loved before?  In that dreamy space between wake and sleep, does it roll over and over your tongue until you can nearly taste its sweetness?  Do you blush at its intimacy?


To say the Name that way -- well, it's like holding his hand or touching his cheek.  It is savoring every last drop of its meaning.  It is not irreverant or overuse.  To have it so close, to relish its power and its peace, delights the one to whom it belongs and draws him nearer still.  To cradle it in the conscious soothes the soul and opens the heart to love. 

"I will say this holy name, no matter who agrees,
  for no other name on earth means so much to me.
I'll say the name . . . 
    Jesus"*

* song lyrics: "Say the Name" by Margaret Becker & Charlie Peacock, 1993