Whether we know it or not, we are bequeathed by God a very special privilege. We are given the responsibility to bear His name, to represent His name to the people around us. It is at the same time a fearful thing and a joyous. Look at what David says in the Psalms,

"Thy name, O LORD, endureth for ever; and thy memorial, O LORD, throughout all generations. For The LORD will judge His people, and He will have pity on His servants." [Psa 135:13-14]

Notice the “for” David uses after saying The LORD’s memorial (or remembrance) endures. He is saying the remembrance of our Lord’s name endures forever because He judges His people and has pity on them. The LORD judges us, purifies us so that His name is more perfectly represented through us. Paul tells us that because we name the name of Christ Jesus, and by implication, then, bear the name of Jesus, we should “depart from iniquity.”

“We are ambassadors for Christ” and we should therefore seek to represent God well. He has graciously chosen men as the tool for which He will preserve His name forever. What a privilege that we would be able to bear the name of Almighty God!

It is for this reason that The LORD has put His Holy Spirit in us and seeks to purify us. He says in Ezekiel,

"But I had pity for Mine Holy Name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went. Therefore say unto the house of Israel, thus saith The Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O House of Israel, but for Mine Holy Name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen whither ye went. And I will sanctify My Great Name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am The LORD, saith The Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them." [Ezek 36:21-27]

Notice how The LORD, for His Name’s sake, is doing these things. He desires for the people of earth to see just how great He is. It is the greatest joy and privilege to be able to know God intimately, and God desires for other men/women to see His character through us. He desires them to come to Him and experience the same joy, peace, hope, and love that we do on a daily basis. And so to accomplish that, in His surpassing wisdom, He chooses to place His Spirit into men/women and live through them. He sanctifies us so that we might bear His name, His character, more perfectly.

Furthermore, we have been,

"Predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will: that we should be to the praise of His glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in Whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory." [Eph 1:11-14]

One of the things The Holy Spirit accomplishes, is making sure we are “unto the praise of His glory.” The Holy Spirit within us sets us apart from the world and makes us more like Jesus, that we might, day by day, praise His glory more and more through our lives, which should be reflections of Christ.

The way God does this is through trial. As Peter says, we should,

"Think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy." [1 Pe 4:12-13]

The trials in our lives purify our faith like gold and silver so that in the end, our faith “might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.”

God sends us trials to purify our faith, to ensure that His name is being preserved and reflected well. This is why we can rejoice in trials. Unlike the unsaved world, who have no real or lasting hope in trials, we can rejoice, knowing that through every difficult circumstance, God is working to make us more like Jesus Christ, to glorify and reflect His awesome name. For “we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. For whom he did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son…” [Rom 8:28-29]

And through the trials, The Lord is exceedingly merciful to us. He never breaks us or extinguishes our wick, He is meek and gentle, placing a well-fitted yoke upon our necks and a light load upon our backs.

"Like as a father pitieth his children, so The LORD pitieth them that fear Him. For He knoweth our frame; He remembreth that we are dust." [Psa 103:13-14]

And,

"It is of The LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not." [Lam 3:22]

CONCLUSION

Take heart and rejoice in trial because The Lord desires to preserve His name through you! What a privilege that is! And so let us mimic the voice of Jesus in every trial, “Now is My soul troubled; and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour:’ but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify Thy Name.” [Jn 12:27-28]