How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds – What Does This Mean?

How sweet the name of Jesus sounds
In a believer’s ear!
It soothes our sorrows,
Heals our wounds,
And drives away our fear.

This first verse speaks so beautifully of faith, that we hear the name of Jesus when we are baptized and when we hear the Word and when we pray and when we receive the Supper. Faith is not about what we see with our eyes, but what we hear with our ears. What is it that we hear? We hear comfort during our grief, and restoration after sickness, and peace in the midst of fearful times. What power the name of Jesus has!

It makes the wounded spirit whole
And calms the heart’s unrest;
‘Tis manna to the hungry soul
And to the weary, rest.

This verse refers to the manna that fell from heaven in the wilderness for the people of Israel. It connects us also to the story of Jesus’ feeding of the 5,000 by the Sea of Galilee. It certainly reminds us also of the Lord’s Supper that we eat in Jesus’ name and by His command and institution. This is the manna for our hungry soul, even the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Dear name! The rock on which I build,
My shield and hiding place;
My never-failing treasury filled
With boundless stores of grace.

In this world there is shaky ground and wavering wind. But on Christ the solid Rock we stand. This name above all names is our firm foundation. In this world there are many attacks waged on souls from all corners. But Jesus is our shield and our hiding place. Here we have a Defender; we do not need to defend ourselves. Here we know we are safe; the enemy cannot find us!

O Jesus, shepherd, guardian, friend,
My Prophet, Priest, and King,
My Lord, my life, my way, my end,
Accept the praise I bring.

This verse sings so many names of Jesus. These titles are found throughout the Bible to comfort those in need. Jesus is the Shepherd, guardian, and friend. What more could we need? He is the Prophet, Priest, and King. We know what He has done for us, and that He is the greatest prophet, the greatest priest, and the greatest king that ever was and ever will be. Jesus is the Lord who offers life eternal and is the way to heaven forever and ever.

How weak the effort of my heart,
How cold my warmest thought!
But when I see Thee as Thou art,
I’ll praise Thee as I ought.

The hymnwriter understands his own weakness and so do we. We are sinners, unable to believe in God on our own. We cannot save ourselves or forgive ourselves. We certainly cannot pay the wages of sin, death. But when we see the Lord Jesus on the cross, suffering and dying for us, we see how the Lord is, who the Lord is, and what the Lord is doing for us.

Till then I would Thy love proclaim
With ev’ry fleeting breath;
And may the music of Thy name
Refresh my soul in death!

This final verse is placed in the present time, as we sing it with him and all the church on earth. While we live we proclaim the name of Jesus. While we sing we know He soothes our soul. While we worship, we pray, praise, and give thanks for the name of Jesus who accomplished our own salvation. When our last hour comes, we have every confidence in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting, that even the name of Jesus that saves us will deliver us from this vale of tears to Himself forever. How refreshing is that thought!

Rev. James Peterson
First Lutheran Church
Phillipsburg, Kansas