The Name
The Name of Jesus Christ
The Sacrament Prayer On The Bread
3 O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it; that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him, and keep his commandments which he hath given them, that they may always have his Spirit to be with them. Amen.
In this prayer we witness unto God that we "... are willing to take upon [us] the name of [His] Son ...".
This could be interpreted to mean different things, but the effects of keeping this covenant have been many and varied to me personally. Keep in mind that the words of this prayer are carefully monitored by the Bishop or appointed leader of each Ward or Branch in the Church every week. If the words used in the prayer do not match the scriptural source of the prayer, the Bishop asks for the prayer to be repeated. We are told that the Sacrament Meeting is the most important time of our week, and the Sacrament itself is the most important part of this meeting. This prayer on the bread is when we witness unto God that we "... are willing to take upon [us] the name of [His] Son ...".
After making this promise to Him, what may be the effect of keeping this promise?
I have found that some of the greatest blessings in my life began to appear after I began, in earnest, to keep this promise to Heavenly Father. I began to wonder if Jesus Christ was not only the center of the Gospel, but that He was also the true source of the most significant blessings in my personal, individual life. He is truly our personal and best friend. When we invite Him into our heart by keeping this promise, as we live to be worthy of His presence, He loves to accept this invitation.
Two ways to do this that have been very effective in my life are -
1. Repeat The Name "Jesus Christ" over and over again, either silently to yourself or aloud in a whisper or in a regular voice. This may be difficult to stay focused on, because it is easy to get distracted. Something that helps make it easier is to be busy doing something you can focus on, such as taking a walk, working in the yard, or some other physical task that keeps you busy.
2. Allow the Holy Ghost to repeat The Name "Jesus Christ" in your heart while you listen. The Spirit wants to help you do this. Doing this is a form of having a prayer in your heart and having the Holy Ghost as your companion.
How much time should I spend doing this?
This a personal preference for each individual. I try to do this for at least one hour each day. The length of this time period is a good topic for another discussion, and here is a verse that may be of interest in that discussion -
40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?
I am better at doing the first method while I walk for an hour. Yard work is another good physical outlet. The exercise is good for me and it is much easier to stay focused on taking upon me The Name of Jesus Christ.
What blessings can come from doing this?
Before I started doing this, I found myself waking up early in the morning (and I sometimes felt the same feelings at other times during the day) with worry, depression, and other negative thoughts that I believe came from the adversary. It was very troubling and upsetting. This sometimes went on for months at a time.
After I had been taking upon me The Name of Jesus Christ for a while, I noticed that I had stopped having this worry, depression, etc. I felt like I was being protected from these negative thoughts. It was as if Satan was being blocked from doing what he had previously been doing to me. The absence of this Spiritual pain was refreshing and I was (and continue to be) so grateful for it.
As I mentioned above, I began to see a connection between this daily habit of "taking upon me the Name of Jesus Christ" and receiving some of the greatest blessings of my life. Some things that had plagued me for many, many years began to be resolved. Things I thought would never be remedied began to quietly be dispelled from my life.
I suppose that, by taking upon me the Name of Jesus Christ, I was slowly becoming more like Him. By taking into my heart and soul His Name I was assimilating into my personal character some of His Holy attributes. What a blessing it would be to receive His image in your countenance -
14 And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?
By attempting to become more like Him through taking upon me His Name I was keeping His commandment which He gave when He answered this question He asked of His Nephite disciples -
27 ... Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am.
These situations and blessings are personal and private to me. I am quite sure they are somewhat unique to me and my life. I believe this would also be the case for anyone who keeps this promise, that they would also receive unique, personal, and appropriate blessings in their life. I have pondered these things and I will say that they are at the top of my priority list. It seems to be a fulfillment of the verse -
8 ... your Father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask him.
It is a relief to know that Heavenly Father can and will sort through the blessings you need and will help you the most.
Dearest children, God is near you, Watching o’er you day and night,
And delights to own and bless you, If you strive to do what’s right.
He will bless you, He will bless you, If you put your trust in him.
I have also wondered why it has taken so many years for these blessings to appear in my life, and it seems that my Heavenly Father has been patiently waiting for me to keep this promise which I have been making weekly since I first began to take the Sacrament so many years ago. It has been there all along, this promise I was making, but I have only just recently begun to daily keep or fulfill it on my morning walks. This was a wakeup call to the verse -
6 ... dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.
I finally started to keep my promise and the blessings started to flow. I have been blessed throughout my life, but not to this extent.
How to ...
I walk an hour each day and repeat The Name "Jesus Christ" over and over again, aloud in a whisper. I sometimes find myself repeating His Name after I have completed my walk. It is always for at least one hour. It is a great comfort to me.
Some other significant scriptural references to The Name of Jesus Christ
It is of interest to note that the "name" is mentioned many, many times in The Book of Mormon. It may be of worth to search for and mark in your scriptures the word "name".
One of these scriptural "name" occurances refers to the power of His Name and the blessings it can provide. There are many, many more references to the "name" in The Book of Mormon. By searching out and pondering these references to the "name" it becomes more clear why this promise is in the Sacrament prayer on the bread and why we are asked to weekly make this promise to God. He wants us to claim the blessings that can come from taking "... upon [us] the name of [His] Son ...".
CHAPTER 3
Many Nephites migrate to the land northward—They build houses of cement and keep many records—Tens of thousands are converted and baptized—The word of God leads men to salvation—Nephi the son of Helaman fills the judgment seat. About 49–39 B.C.
24 And it came to pass that in this same year there was exceedingly great prosperity in the church, insomuch that there were thousands who did join themselves unto the church and were baptized unto repentance.
25 And so great was the prosperity of the church, and so many the blessings which were poured out upon the people, that even the high priests and the teachers were themselves astonished beyond measure.
26 And it came to pass that the work of the Lord did prosper unto the baptizing and uniting to the church of God, many souls, yea, even tens of thousands.
27 Thus we may see that the Lord is merciful unto all who will, in the sincerity of their hearts, call upon his holy name.
28 Yea, thus we see that the gate of heaven is open unto all, even to those who will believe on the name of Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God.
29 Yea, we see that whosoever will may lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in a strait and narrow course across that everlasting gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked—
30 And land their souls, yea, their immortal souls, at the right hand of God in the kingdom of heaven, to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and with Jacob, and with all our holy fathers, to go no more out.
The words in verse 29 above "... the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil ..." describe what I noticed in my own life, that Satan's efforts to implant in my heart thoughts of worry, depression, and other negative things, were being blocked by the power of "the word of God", or "the name of Jesus Christ".
Keep in mind that, regarding these two concepts "the name of Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God" in verse 28 above and "the word of God" in verse 29 above and also in the chapter heading that precedes these verses, these two concepts are also mentioned in the following verses in the New Testament -
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
