The Eternal Desire Series

of God. In the book, God and Freud, the story is told of a Jew who was shipwrecked on a

desert island. To keep from losing his mind he built himself a city. He gathered rocks

and driftwood, and anything he could find. Several years later when rescuers came to the

island, he insisted on showing them his city before he left. This is my house, he said, and

over there is the temple, and down there is the grocery and the post office, and beyond

that is the other temple. "The other temple," a rescuer asked. "Yes," he said, "That is

the one I don't go to." The story is Jewish, but the reality is Christian as well. Christian

competition has led many non-believers to lose respect for the name of God.

The question we need to keep asking ourselves is, what name are we most concerned

about exalting and honoring? Is it the name of God, or the name of our denomination?

Many groups have their values, but none are to have priority over the name of God.

John Bunyan, author of Pilgrim's Progress, was a Baptist, but preferred to be called a

Christian, or believer, and he wrote, "As for these...titles of Anabaptists, Independents,

Presbyterians, or the like, I conclude that they came neither from Jerusalem nor from

Antioch, but rather from hell and Babylon, for they naturally tend to divisions." Bunyan

was more concerned with the name of God than the names His children call themselves.

So it was with Martin Luther who said, "I pray you,.. leave my name alone, and do not call

yourselves Lutherans, but Christians. Who is Luther? My doctrine is not mine!....St.

Paul would not that any should call themselves of Paul nor of Peter, but of Christ. How

then does it befall me, who am but miserable dust and ashes, to give my name to the

Children of Christ? Cease, my dear friends, to cling to these party names and

distinctions...away with them all! Let us call ourselves Christians...."

They did not listen, of course, and neither did the followers of others, and the result is

hundreds of denominations that give God's children a name they can be tempted to exalt

above the name of God. This has led to much division that has hurt the name of God and

Christ in our world.

This first petition is also the last. The desire to honor the name of God is the only

eternal desire of the prayer. The rest are all limited to time. The kingdom will come,

God's will will be done on earth as it is in heaven, and that will be the end of the need to

pray these petitions. Also, the need for daily bread, forgiveness, and escape from

temptation will all end with eternity. But the need to revere the name of God will never

end. When all the temporal desires are satisfied, this Eternal Desire will go on endlessly,

and be the prayer of the believer forever-hallowed be Thy name.