People select names for their children based on a variety of reasons. Some choose names of family members to honour or remember their cherished elders. Some choose names of famous people or Bible characters they admire. Others simply like how the names sound.

The Bible tells us that the Lord's name is shorthand for His character. There's nothing magical in saying the words ″Yahweh″ or ″Jesus″, but these names remind us of who God is and what He has done for us. David is surrounded by enemies, but his hope is that God will save him, ″by your name . . . by your might″ (Psalm 54:1). God's name reminds David of God's saving power that has protected him in all his trials.

As we saw with Psalm 52, a number of David's psalms were written while he was on the run from the insanely jealous King Saul. As he fled, David found both friends and enemies. This psalm exposes the treachery of the people who lived in the hills of the Desert of Ziph, southeast of Hebron. David was hiding there, but the Ziphites went to Saul to reveal David's hiding place (1 Samuel 23:14-25).

David does three things in this psalm. Each one is an example of how we should respond to trouble. First, he goes straight to God and tells Him the problem (Psalm 54:2-3). It's a good principle for us to follow, too, because God cares for us and has the ability to save. Tell God before anyone else when you're hurt, or in pain or trouble. Look to Him for compassion, mercy, consolation, understanding, and relief. Then we're acknowledging that God, before anyone else, is the one who knows our needs and knows what's best for us.

Second, David affirms his trust in God (vv. 4-5). God had promised him the throne (1 Samuel 16:12-13), so he knew that God would protect him. Mind you, that didn't mean David was complacent. 1 Samuel 23:25 tells us that when he found out that Saul was hunting for him, ″he went down to the rock and stayed in the Desert of Maon″. David didn't presume upon God's protection; he sought to hide in a safe place, too.

Third, David is confident God will hear his prayer. In fact, he's so sure of God's faithfulness that he sings, ″I will sacrifice . . . I will praise your name″ (Psalm 54:6). We may never find ourselves on the run from those who want to kill us, but we may face troubles that seem to overwhelm us, and we may feel like giving up on the Christian race. May we, like David, confidently sing of the Lord's deliverance as if it has already happened (v. 7).

In Philippians 2:9-11, Paul tells us that God has given to Jesus, ″the name that is above every name″ (v. 9). This is God's own name, the name ″Lord″. This is the name that David trusted in. This is the name that tells us that Jesus is the loving, just, all-powerful Saviour God. In times of trouble, the Lord Jesus Christ is the name we can trust in; it is the name that should be on our lips.