It’s to say His name aloud.įor example, when a little boy falls off a swing, he immediately calls out, “Mommy!” When his mother hears his cry, she runs to him, wipes away his tears, and soothes him. So by definition, calling on the Lord is audible. And in Greek, the original language of the New Testament, the word means to invoke a person, to call a person by name. In Hebrew, the original language of the Old Testament, the word translated as call in English means to call out to or to cry unto. We’ll also see why it’s so important for our Christian life. In this blog post, we’ll look into what calling on the name of the Lord means with the help of verses and notes from the New Testament Recovery Version. Since this phrase is mentioned so frequently throughout the Bible, surely it deserves our attention. But have you ever noticed that the phrase call on the name of the Lord is mentioned numerous times throughout the Bible? In fact, God’s people have called on the Lord throughout the centuries.īut what does it mean to call on the name of the Lord? Is it just a poetic way of referring to prayer or trusting in the Lord?
Everyone and everything was created for the pleasure of the sovereign Lord.As Christians, we all know the importance of prayer.
Isaiah 55:12 says, “You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.” Throughout Psalm 148, there are numerous examples of created things praising their Creator-the sun, moon, stars, heavens, water, sky, animals, and people. For example, in Psalm 114:6, the mountains leap. Throughout Scripture are similar poetic passages that present inanimate objects praising God. The idea of rocks crying out in praise to the Lord is poetic, startling imagery. And, by Friday, they would yell for Him to be crucified (Luke 23:18–23). Shortly after Jesus’ triumphal entry, the people would keep quiet. However, humans are created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), so we are the ones who should be praising God. Everything in creation declares His praise. Colossians 1:16 says that all creation was made for God’s glory. The people of Jerusalem are expressing great joy, and that joy is so appropriate, so necessary, that, if they did not express praise, it would be appropriate for inanimate objects to fill the void. In saying that the stones will cry out, Jesus indicates that the people’s acclamations should be encouraged, not suppressed. The meaning seems to be that it is more likely that the impossible would happen than for the King of kings to enter His capital city without honor. The expression the stones will cry out seems to be proverbial and isn’t to be understood as a literal statement. What did Jesus mean by this statement? Did He mean that the rocks would literally start shouting praises to the Lord? Most likely, no. if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out” (Luke 19:40). The Pharisees had to know they were powerless to stop the excitement of the people, so they called on Jesus to stop what they believed to be blasphemy. When the Pharisees in the crowd heard the people’s worship directed at Jesus, they said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” (verse 39). Jesus rode on the back of a borrowed donkey’s colt, and multitudes of people praised Him as the “king who comes in the name of the Lord” (Luke 19:38).
The mention of rocks or stones crying out is found in the context of the triumphal entry-Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem a week before He was killed.