"But Your Name alone we bring to remembrance": Thoughts on Joseph Kony, Invisible Children, and YHVH

I was going to kind of keep my mouth shut about this one, in all honesty.  It's a hot topic, and an important one, and I thought I'd keep my thoughts to myself.  But this is too good, and too important, to pass up.  Hear this.

Background Pt. 1

After a rather rough couple of days, I feel spiritually low.  I realize it's because I haven't spent any time reading my Bible.  I have had closeness with God through prayer (for myself and others, which is great for relationship), but little truth has been poured into my life.  And I haven't sought it out.  I feel the absence, the discomfort, the... unbalancedness.  (That word, alone, perfectly describes what it is and how I feel.)

Background Pt. 2

Last night, I had an interesting talk with a friend about Kony 2012 and the Invisible Children initiative.  To be perfectly frank, I have mixed feelings about the entire discussion: Facebook exploding with statuses, the videos, the articles... it's big news.  Make Kony famous.

Background Pt. 3

I'm currently reading a delightful little linguistic tale Born to Kvetch about the Yiddish culture and language.  Fascinating and hilarious stuff, my friends.  (If you're interested, once I'm done, I'll post a review here, on my other blog!)  The chapter I'm in right now discusses the importance of the name of a thing.  "What's in a name?" asks Juliet... "Everything," responds the Hebraic-Yiddish culture.  Contained in an object's name is its very essence.  From a rose, to YHVH - the Name above all Names - if you change a name, you change the very thing.  Therefore because the Name is the very holiness of God, Jews do not speak it, but merely refer to it as the Name, or Adonai (the closest a word can get in majesty and splendor to the Name), and we English speakers, "LORD."

.......

As soon as I got home today from work, I opened the Word, and lo and behold: Isaiah 26 leapt off the page at me.  I encourage you to read it in its gorgeous entirety, but here are a few main points that I had previously underlined.

You keep him in perfect peace 

whose mind is stayed on you, 

because he trusts in you.

In the path of your judgments, 

O LORD, we wait for you;

Your Name and remembrance

are the desire of our soul.

For when your judgments are in the earth,

the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

If favor is shown to the wicked, 

he does not learn righteousness.

Let them see your zeal for your people,

and be ashamed.

Let the fire for your adversaries consume them.

O LORD our God,

other lords beside you have ruled over us,

but your Name alone we bring to remembrance.

...

Whether you think so or not, these passages speak directly into the issues I described above.  

Firstly, I am promised peace when I place my trust, my hope, my anxieties squarely on Him. Not just peace.  Perfect peace.  The peace that transcends understanding, as Paul says in my favorite passage from the epistle to the church at Philippi.  I need to A) read my Bible, and B) trust that it is true.

Secondly, it is the Lord's Name that we are to uphold, cherish, make famous.  We are to crave His fame, to spread His light to the far reaches of the world - heck, the galaxy... who knows? - and teach the world righteousness.

Thirdly, if that occurs, that His Name is our soul's desire, that His Name is the only word on our lips, that His fame exceed all others... He will teach the unrighteous justice.  He will teach them righteousness.  He will avenge the godly with the "fire for [His] adversaries"!  Trust!  

Now, I while I struggle with the tactics of Invisible Children, I believe the goal is just and the heart of it is in the right place.  I struggle, though.  Make Kony famous?  Call out for justice and righteousness and for those who have no voices of their own - YES!  God, yes!  But.  At what cost?  It is when the LORD's judgments are in the earth that the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.  It is only then that there will be peace, that there will be mercy, that there will be justice.  Truly.  

We must have balance.

We must have care.

We must have priorities appropriately placed.

We must be in the Word.

We must be filled with the Spirit.

We must be in touch with God, casting our cares upon Him, presenting our requests/anxieties/worries upon Him in prayer with thanksgiving.

We must call for justice.

We must trust that He will carry out His will.

We must make His Name great.