What is in a name?

Take the name of Jesus with you,

child of sorrow and of woe;

It will joy and comfort give you –

 take it, then, where’er you go.

Precious name, O how sweet!

Hope of earth and joy of heav’n

Precious name, O how sweet!

Hope of earth and joy of heav’n

What is in a name? Romeo asked this question in the Shakespearian play Romeo and Juliet. Believers know the name of Jesus! Believers know that just whispering this precious name can bring comfort, peace, and even joy to an aching and breaking heart.

Lydia Baxter came to know just how precious and sweet the name of Jesus really was. Lydia was bed-ridden for most her life as an invalid. It was said of her that she was always cheerful and patient. When asked about her “secret” she would tell people that she had a “very special armor.” She would say, “I have the name of Jesus. When the tempter tries to make me blue or despondent, I mention the name of Jesus, and he can’t get through to me anymore.”

Lydia Baxter loved names, especially bible names. She was an avid student of the bible. She loved to discuss the meaning or significance of scriptural names with her friends. She would tell them that Samuel meant “asked of God”, Hannah meant “grace”, or that Sarah meant “princess”, and that Naomi meant “pleasantness.” The name that meant everything to Lydia was the name of Jesus.

“Take The Name of Jesus with You” was written by Lydia Baxter in 1870 while she lay as an invalid on her sickbed. She loved this special name throughout her life and right up until she died just four (4) years later. She died at the age of sixty-five. It was William H. Doane who put music to this beautiful poem about the “secret armor” loved so much by Lydia Baxter.