If the Bible's Book of Job has a central message, it's that God is great beyond imagining but that He is also always near. God is immanent and not just transcendant. He sustains every particle and atom in the universe. He is immediately, intimately somehow "with" each of us and concerned with every human being in ways that confound even the proudest philosophies.
And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, "The Lord , the Lord, God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth" - Exodus 34:6
God existed before He created the Universe and He shall always exist. If there's such a thing as beyond the end of time, God will still be there. He is complete. He is perfect. However, while this may sound like heresy, His Name is not complete, His Name is not yet perfect.
To perfect and complete His Name God needs us - human beings. In the words of kaddish, the ancient but mysterious "mourner's prayer" that punctuates every Hebrew prayer service: "magnified and sanctified be God's great Name." Kaddish speaks to the future. The Amidah, Israel's "standing prayer" (worshippers pray standing), the Jews' principal prayer, does too. God's great Name will be magnified and sanctified but it is presently incomplete. "May He give reign to His kingship in your time." Only when all mankind begins to turn to Him, when His kingdom comes into being, God will "magnify and sanctify Himself." (Ezekiel 38:23) "On that day the Lord will be one and his Name will be one." (Zechariah 14:9)
We understand that God's Name is not Him. He is perfect and complete even though His Name isn't yet. His Name is only connected to Him. But that's a crucial connection. In another context Scripture says, "as is his name, so is he." (Samuel 25:25)
Using words of command, God clearly tells us in the Scripture: honor His Name, do not take His Name in vain, for any low purpose, and - a fundamental First Covenant principle - do not curse or blaspheme His Name.
This is a true principle of higher consciousness, of God-consciousness: Since God gives us free will, we have this choice, right here on earth, either to honor His Name or dishonor it. We can help complete and perfect His Name or we can diminish it through our own thoughts and actions.
How will His Name finally become perfect? God works through history. Aleynu, the spiritual highpoint of Israel's morning and evening worship services, provides an outline of the future in the second, final paragraph. Israel prays to see God's mighty splendor, for:
1) The removal of detestable idolatry (in other words, not just any idolatry but particularly offensive, noxious idolatry; in Hebrew, gilulim) from the earth. Then,
2) He will utterly cut off all false gods.
Then, the final stage, 3) He will perfect the universe through His holy sovereignty.
All humanity will begin calling upon His Name - we will all (or practically all, nearly everyone) recognize His sovereignty; we will all realize that to God and only God every knee should bow.
Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His Name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. - Psalm 29:2
