Finding My Father

Over the past few weeks, a memory from my nineteen-year-old self has begun to resurface in my mind, almost as if it were trying to tell me something. I can’t quite grasp why now; it has remained tucked away in my mind for years, perhaps forgotten entirely. I am sitting in a booth. Across from me sat a leader from a campus ministry I was involved in. I was nervous, afraid and unsure of what I was about to tell him.

I had requested this meeting because there was something heavy on my heart—a confession I desperately needed him to hear from my own lips rather than through the whispers of others. It was about a sin I had committed, one that would soon come to light, changing my life forever.

As I revealed my burden, he listened quietly for a few moments, a deep sadness reflected in his eyes. I braced myself for judgment, but instead, I encountered an overwhelming sense of empathy. His eyes conveyed genuine sorrow rather than condemnation. Finally he asked, "Sharon, I have noticed for some time that it seems you are searching for something. What is it that you are looking for?" 

That question echoed in my mind, haunting me long after our conversation had ended. I struggled to find a response; I was lost and without direction. All I knew was that, despite being a Christian for three years, there was an unsettling emptiness within me. I felt like a ship adrift at sea, longing for land but unsure of my destination. What I failed to recognize in that moment—and what I would later come to understand—was that I was missing my Father. His love and presence were the very things my heart craved, even if I didn’t yet know it.

Ten years passed before I would begin a journey that would finally answer that question. In that time I followed Jesus but largely ignored the Father. I read the New Testament, but I did my best to stay away from the Old Testament. This disregard for the Old Testament wasn’t always a conscious choice. Before I became a Christian, I had once said that I didn't need God as a Father; I neither needed nor wanted a Father. So when a friend told me about Jesus, it was easier for me to accept Him. It’s not that I didn't believe in God the Father; I was simply ambivalent toward Him.

God brought a woman in my life who would become a dear friend. We raised our families together, prayed and studied God's word together. It was in those times spent with her and doing Bible study she would begin to share with me her relationship with her Father God. 

Her relationship with The Father was tender, merciful and unlike anything I knew  I wanted what she had. I wanted to feel no hesitation in running to the Father with my hopes, dreams, and my shame. I wanted to walk into the throne room, bow before the Father and feel loved, not constant condemnation. 

Now, some 30 years later I am more confident. I can still struggle but what I know that was different then is who God says He is. You see, I viewed my Heavenly Father through the lens of poor and abusive father figures. I have very few memories of my actual father but the men who came after him were not good. So my view of what a father should be like tainted my view of God. 

When I realized, or better said, when God revealed my wrong view of who God is I began searching for truth. I wanted to know who He was and is. I have mostly found that in studying God’s character through the studying if His names. With each name I gained a greater depth of who He is. I began to realize that all those years ago I was searching for my Father, my good, kind and merciful Heavenly Father. The Father who loves me unconditionally and sent Jesus to die for me. What an amazing love the Father has for me.

One of the studies that helped me tremendously was Kay Arthur’s Lord, I Want to Know You.  It is a study of the names of God  

Jehovah Sees and Provides

Recently, I read Philippians 4:19 and discovered a deeper meaning beyond God simply providing for our everyday needs. This verse demonstrates that God meets not only our physical and emotional essentials but also our spiritual needs.

Reflecting on Genesis 22:14, where Abraham names a place "The Lord Will Provide" (Jehovah Jireh), we see God’s profound care for His children. In this context, God tested Abraham’s faith by asking him to sacrifice Isaac. Abraham’s willingness to comply prompted God to provide a ram as a substitute, highlighting His mercy and provision.

The name Jehovah (YHWH) means "I am the one who is," emphasizing His eternal presence. Jireh means "to see" and "to provide," illustrating that God recognizes our circumstances and proactively meets our needs, giving us confidence to trust Him, especially in challenging times.

As we reflect on Philippians 4:19 and Genesis 22:14, we should consider our greatest need: to be in a right relationship with God. This relationship was fractured by the sin of Adam and Eve and has continued to be affected by the sins of humanity throughout history. In His love, God provided a way for reconciliation through Jesus Christ, allowing us to mend this broken relationship and offering us redemption and eternal communion with Him.

Where do you stand? Do you recognize yourself as a sinner? Do you believe that God desires reconciliation with you? Regardless of your current situation or past actions, God has provided a path to reconciliation. He sent His Son to die for your sins and mine. The debt is paid in full; all you need to do is believe, confess your sins, and live your life in obedience to God.

Walking In Peace

 Today my Bible study was a perfect reminder to me. Perhaps you need this too. 

In this verse God is called “ God Most High” which in Hebrew is El Elyon. This name for God means “Highest” or “Exalted One” and emphasizes that God is the highest in every realm of life.  

It means He is Sovereign, He rules over all things. He is in control and there is no plan of man that can change His sovereign will for His creation. 

This reminder allows me to walk in peace knowing that no matter what happens, no matter how chaotic life might get, God has a plan and it will unfold according to His timing and purpose. I can walk through all things trusting in a God who has a good and perfect plan. 

God Heals Us

 

God is our healer, our Jehovah-rapha which means the one who is your healer. In the Hebrew the word we translate as rapha means “to mend, to cure.” It is translated “to heal, repair, repair thoroughly, make whole.”

It does not matter whether you come to God seeking spiritual, physical or emotional healing for in Christ we are made whole. We are healed.

Whatever hurt you may be facing today run to your Father in Heaven who promises to heal you. He will make you whole again.

The LORD will strike Egypt, striking but healing; so they will return to the LORD, and He will respond to them and will heal them. Isaiah19:22;

"I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him and restore comfort to him and to his mourners” Isaiah 57:18;

He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3;

 

The Lord Is Peace

Jehovah-Shalom occurs only once in the Bible. While Jehovah-Shalom may only be mentioned once Shalom is mentioned many times although  I will only  look at how it relates to our relationship with God.

We find Jehovah Shalom mentioned Judges6:24 by Gideon. Gideon was the youngest son of Joash of the Abiezrites, and the fifth judge of Israel who led the Israelites against the Midianites.

When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon He said “"The LORD is with you, O valiant warrior." (6:12) The Lord had chosen Gideon to deliver His people from the hand of Midian. Gideon prepared an offering and laid it before the angel of God. “Then the angel of the LORD put out the end of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread ; and fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the angel of the LORD vanished from hissight.  When Gideon saw that he was the angel of the LORD, he said, "Alas, O Lord GOD ! For now I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face." The LORD said to him, "Peace to you, do not fear; you shall not die."Then Gideon built an altar there to the LORD and named it The LORD is Peace.” Judges 6:21-24 (The rest of his story is found in Judges 6:25 to ch 8)

Gideon knew that the only way to have peace in Israel was reconciliation to God. He knew that they would never have peace until Israel returned to Jehovah, the true and living God. It is the same for us today. Too many times we see peace as meaning, peace from war, peace in the world or just peace around our little part of the world. But that is not the peace God promises (at least not until heaven). No, God’s peace goes beyond the “absence of hostility or strife. Shalom in much of the Bible speaks of a total fulfillment that comes when we experience God’s presence.

The prophet Isaiah tells us that peace will come to us through Jesus. “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders ; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace...(Is 9:6-7)

Ephesians says “For He Himself is our peace” (2:14) Jesus is our peace. He came to bring peace in our relationship with God. Our sin separated us from God. We were far away from God with no possibility of coming near. But is was the Father’s good please to make a way for us to have peace with God through  the blood of Christ on the cross.( Eph 2:14-19; Col 1:18-20)

Christ took upon Himself our sins, serving as a spotless lamb, and died on the cross so that we might have eternal life with the Father. Because of His willing sacrifice we can now have peace with God.

Because we have peace with God we can rest assured that His peace is never far from us. Even in the midst of turmoil and strife in this world we can still have peace. A peace that says, “Whatever may happen I know my God is in control. I know my God is good. I know that my God will strengthen and sustain me. I know that He will give me peace of heart and mind.”

Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace ; and the God of love and peace will be with you. 2 Cor 13:11

And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Phil 4:7

Grace, mercy and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. 2 John 1:3

 

*All verses taken from NAS unless noted otherwise.

Jehovah Jireh - The Lord Will Provide

If you are not familiar with Genesis 22 you may want to read it first.

“And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh. As it is said to this day, In the mount of Jehovah it shall be provided..” Gen 22:14 ASV 

 Jehovah-Jireh = Jehovah sees - is a symbolic name given to Mount Moriah by Abraham to memorialize the intercession of God in the sacrifice of Isaac by providing a substitute for the imminent sacrifice of his son.¹

I remember reading this verse thinking, “What will be seen in the mount of the Lord?” The answer is given earlier in the chapter in verses 7-8 “And Isaac spoke unto Abraham his father, and said, My father. And he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold, the fire and the wood. But where is the lamb for a burnt-offering? And Abraham said, God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt-offering, my son. So they went both of them together” (ASV) That which God provided to Abraham was a ram to be sacrificed instead of his son Isaac.

John Wesley notes that, “God will provide himself a lamb - This was purely the Lord's doing: let it be recorded for the generations to come; that the Lord will see; he will always have his eyes upon his people in their straits” ²

I love how Wesley wrote that God will “always have his eyes upon his people.”  When God sees our need, his provision is sure. Absolutely sure. God sees and will provide, Jehovah-jireh was Abraham’s testimony to the goodness and grace of God in providing a ram to take the place of Isaac on the altar to be sacrificed. But even more so it points to God providing Christ as a substitute on the cross for the sins of every sinner who calls upon the name of Jesus.

God saw our need of a savior and provided His Son, Jesus Christ. In God’s perfect timing He gave his Son to die in the place of sinners. Just like God provided a ram to Abraham.

Christ died for us freely. God sent his Son to redeem us, and Christ came to redeem us by his death, simply because he loved us.  ( I John 3:16; 4:9-10).

“Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.” (Gen 22:10) God provided in His own timing, once He saw that Abraham “feared God” and would not withhold his own son. (v 12) He provided exactly what was needed, “a ram”. (v 13) The ram was offered in Isaac’s place. God provided.

It’s such a beautiful picture isn’t it? And my dear sisters if that was all Jehovah-Jireh meant it would be enough wouldn’t it? But there is so much more to see. Kay Arthur in her book Lord, I Want to Know You says, “Not only has Jehovah foreseen your need for salvation and made provision through the death and resurrection of His Son, but He also sees your day-by-day needs…Yes, our Father, Jehovah-jireh both sees and knows our need.”³

Take comfort dear one, our Father in heaven sees our need. Nothing comes into our life without the Father knowing, nothing is hidden from Him. Psalms 38:9 says, “Lord, all my desire is before You; And my sighing is not hidden from You.”  And Luke 12:29-30 says "And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying…. but your Father knows that you need these things.” And be sure that if God sees our needs He will provide.

Where God sees, He provides.

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed” (2 Cor 9:8)

“And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:19)
Where He provides, He should be praised.

“Blessed be the LORD, Because He has heard the voice of my supplication.  The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him.” (Ps 28:6-7)

“in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thess 5:18)
 An afterthought: I had never really paid attention to the fact that Abraham said God would provide a lamb (which is a baby sheep/ram and could be male or female). God did not provide a lamb but a ram (a male sheep). Most probably wouldn’t pay much attention but when I read it I thought “God’s provision was specific”.  It may mean nothing, and yet I couldn’t help but think that God does not always provide in the way we want or think He might  but He always provides exactly what is needed. I just may have to study that further….

For more in the series “Who Are You God?” Click here.

¹ Bible Study Tools Lexicon
²John Wesley, Commentary on Genesis 22:14 (online at CCEL)
³Kay Arthur, Lord, I want to Know You (pgs 67-68)

El Olam - The Everlasting God

The existence of God in the past and the future is a great mystery. He always was and always will be. It’s hard to get your mind around this truth. Scripture doesn’t really even attempt to explain God’s existence but simply assumes it.
It takes faith. Hebrews 11:6 says “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”

God is pleased with a faith that simply ‘believes that He is’. Faith is a conviction of a truth about something which can not be proved. It’s to believe in something without seeing. It’s by faith that I believe in El Olam, The Everlasting God.

In our finite thinking we can not fully comprehend something that is eternal. We live in a world were things have a beginning and an end. Nothing seems permanent - beauty and strength fades, mothers and fathers desert their families, friends come and go out of your life, loved ones move or die, there are disappointments - nothing here on earth is everlasting.

Only El-Olam, the Everlasting God can be counted on to always be in control and to always be available when we need Him.

 Olam comes from the root word 'lm (which means "eternity"). Olam literally means "forever," "eternity," or "everlasting". Olam means for ever, always, everlasting, indefinite or unending.¹
He is the eternal, everlasting God without beginning or end!  He simply “IS”. My mind can’t quite get around that truth. I’ve tried, but my mind was not made to fully understand eternity while here on earth. It’s by faith that I believe that God inhabits eternity, and that HE continually fulfills His Word.

By faith I believe in His eternal protection over me. (Deut 33:27)
By Faith I believe in His eternal love for me. (Is 54:8)
By faith I believe He is the living God and the everlasting King. (Jer 10:10)
By faith I believe that He will be an eternal Light that guides me.(Is 60:19)
By faith I believe that He is my everlasting Rock. Is 26:4

What great comfort this name gives me! My God is eternal, He saw me before the foundations of the earth. He sees my life from the beginning to end. El Olam does not need to “wait and see” how I turn out in the end. HE KNOWS! Not only does He know but He is with me, molding me and making me into His Son’s image.

I am convinced, beyond all doubt, that my God is The Everlasting God! And because I am convinced of His eternal presence I can know that He has everything in control. He saw me before birth and He sees my end here on earth. He sees me in eternity with Him. No, I can’t fully understand, but I don’t need to.  I just need to trust in Him, The Everlasting God, and walk by faith.

Below are a few verse for you to “chew” on today. They are all from NASB translation and the words in bold print are mine.

Isaiah 40:28-31 says “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable.”

Psalm 41:12-13 says “As for me, You uphold me in my integrity, And You set me in Your presence forever.  Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, From everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen.”

Psalm 90:1-2 tells us “Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were born Or You gave birth to the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.”

Psalm 93:1-2 says The LORD reigns, He is clothed with majesty; The LORD has clothed and girded Himself with strength ;Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved. Your throne is established from of old ; You are from everlasting.”

Psalm 102:11-12 “ My days are like a lengthened shadow, And I wither away like grass. But You, O LORD, abide forever, And Your name to all generations.”
 
¹ Blue Letter Bible
 
For more in the series “Who Are You?” please click here.

He Is Our Righteousness

JEHOVAH-TSIDKENU The Lord Our Righteousness" From "tsidek" (straight, stiff, balanced - as on scales - full weight, justice, right, righteous, declared innocent.)  When combined…Jehovah it can be translated as "The Lord Who is our Righteousness."

The Webster dictionary describes righteous as (1)acting in accord with divine or moral law : free from guilt or sin (2a)morally right or justifiable (2b)arising from an outraged sense of justice or morality.

As I ponder the word righteous, knowing that God calls me to righteousness, I quickly realize that I can not be righteous apart from Him.

I can strive to be good, to do good. I can try to live a moral life, to live in a right way. Done in my own strength all these things will fail. I will fail. I can not, even on my best day, be completely free from sin. I can not keep the law if the upholding of it depended solely on me.

Why? I was born in sin and my heart desires to sin. My flesh wants it’s own way. My life may appear good and right but apart from accepting Christ as Lord of my life I can never be wholly righteous.

The Psalmist tells us “blessed are those who keep justice, Who practice righteousness at all times.” (Ps 106:3) So what hope do I have if all my “righteous deeds are like a filthy garment” (Is 64:6) Do not fear, God has not set us up to fail. In fact the answer is found in His name.

The beauty of our Jehovah-Tsidkenu is that He is telling us that He IS our righteousness. Don’t you just love that! The Almighty God, creator of heaven and earth HE is our righteousness. God through His Son is our righteousness.

2 Cor 5:21 says that, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” When I confessed my sins and accept Jesus Christ into my life to be Lord over it all God  no longer sees my sin. He does not recognize me according to my flesh. No, He sees me through the righteousness of Christ." “If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.” Rom 8:10

So I am declared righteous, not because I have done anything worthy to be called righteous, but because God sees the righteousness of Christ instead of my feeble attempts at being good. I gain the righteousness of God when with my mouth I “…confess that Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;” Rom 10:9

“…for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED." Roms 10:10,11

Is God your God of righteousness? Have you believed in your heart and confessed with your mouth that Jesus is Lord? Remember there is NO righteousness apart from God. We may think we are good and do good things but all our righteousness and goodness is worthless.

 

More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death ; 11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Phil 3:8-11

 

The Lord Who Sets Me Apart

I am the LORD, who makes you holy. Ex 31:13b

Jehovah Mekoddishkem - derives from the Hebrew word qâdash meaning sanctify, holy, or dedicate. Sanctification is the separation of an object or person to the dedication of the Holy. When the two words are combined…Jehovah Mekoddishkem…it can be translated as "The Lord who sets you apart." ¹

The Lord who makes me holy, sets me apart. He sanctifies me. I love this name of God. This reminder that it is HE who calls me to be holy is the ONE who makes me holy.
Learn with me how exciting this is!! 1 Peter 2:9 tells me that I am

“a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.”
But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect. Matt 5:48

PERFECT is teleios which means to be brought to its end, finished, wanting nothing necessary to completeness

Perfect. Holy. Set apart. Sanctified. Words that seem impossible. Words that I have tried to live by. I have tried and tried to be holy, to be perfect but there is always failure. And yet, God calls me to pursue holiness. “Pursue the goal of peace along with everyone—and holiness as well, because no one will see the Lord without it.” Heb 12:14

I am to pursue holiness, because without holiness I will not see the Lord.

PURSUE is dioko which means to means to follow or press hard after, pursue with earnestness and diligence in order to obtain, to seek after eagerly, earnestly endeavor to acquire.

So does God tell me to pursue something that He knows is impossible? Is He asking me to make myself holy? Absolutely not!

His name Jehovah Mekoddishkem clearly tells me that it is my Jehovah, The Lord, who makes me holy! There is nothing I can do to be holy. 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 says “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify (make you holy) you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.”

Did you get that? God is the one who will sanctify me! He does the work in me daily as the Spirit of God draws me toward a pursuit of holiness. It is God that sanctifies me so that I now can pursue holiness. I am sanctified through the blood of Christ, His death on the cross, and through His Spirit He continues to sanctify me.
 

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:1-2

 

Oh thank you, Thank YOU! God You not only call me to be holy as You are Holy but You have promised to do the work in me. You will perfect Your will in my life. May I willingly pursue You through Your word and Your will. May I die daily to my flesh and all things that are unholy. Thank you for making a way for me to be holy as you call me into Your holiness. Amen.

 


¹BlueBible

Jehovah-Rapha -The Lord That Heals

  Rapha (râpâ') means "to restore", "to heal" or "to make healthful" in Hebrew. When the two words are combined…Jehovah Rapha…it can be translated as "Jehovah Who Heals." (cf. Jer 30:17; Jer 3:22; Isa 30:26; Isa 61:1; Psa 103:3).¹

The first time I became aware of the full meaning of my Healer God was while doing a Bible Study by Kay Arthur called Lord, Heal My Hurts. It was completely life changing. I learned things I didn’t know about God as Healer.

Seeing God as Healer of sickness or other physical illnesses was never an issue. I always knew that God alone is the source of ALL healing. God can and does heal through miracles and through human (medical) methods.

But what I didn’t know, what I didn’t fully understand is that He also heals us spiritually and emotionally.

David cries out to God in Ps 41:4 “O Jehovah, be gracious to me. Heal (rapha) my soul, for I have sinned against You."  David is speaking of at SPIRITUAL healing.

And one of my favorites is Ps 147:3 where we see Jehovah Rapha who "heals the brokenhearted & binds up their wounds." referring to EMOTIONAL healing. Both Jeremiah and Hosea also speak of “rapha” in reference to spiritual healing of apostate Israel and Judah.

So what did all this mean to me? I learned that Jehovah Rapha can heal completely. He heals us physically, emotionally and spiritually. Not only does He heal, He restores. You see until this deeper understanding I had been walking around thinking that if my emotions were like an arm and had been cut off God would heal them but I would still walk around armless but at least I’d no longer be bleeding all over everyone. But God’s healing is so much more than that.

When I ask God for emotional healing He not only healed my emotions He gave me new emotions. You see, He doesn’t just heal the cut off arm He gives you a new one. He restores it! It’s like losing an arm. There may still be a scar where God joins your new arm (emotions) to your body, but you are WHOLE.
This knowledge was so freeing to me. I had asked God for healing and He began a work in my heart to deal with the pain and abuse of the past. Once He healed the anger and un-forgiveness He began to heal my emotions. I began to trust again. I could feel a real sense of hope and love. His love.

He didn’t just heal me, He restored me. Yes there are still scars, but scars no longer ooze and bleed out. They are closed and no longer have the ability to hurt or become infected. 

Scars are still visible. They do bring remembrance and they sometimes have “phantom pains”. Scars threaten, at times, to draw attention to themselves desiring to be remembered. They scream for the pain to be felt once again. The enemy will try to use scars against us. But I can choose to run to my Jehovah Rapha.

I run to the cross of Jesus and remember that my scars remind me of HIS scars. His scars have set me free. His scars have healed me physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Bottom line: Jehovah Rapha, the Great Physician heals physically, spiritually and emotionally. While we all desire physical healing we must remember that our greater need is for healing of relationships & our spiritual disease called sin. All around us we see the effects of a fallen world. We see men and women walking around in great pain due to sin.

They need healing. The healing power of our Jehovah Rapha, only He can heal in a fullness that sets us free. Only He can restore that which Has been destroyed by sin.
 
¹ BlueBible

Jehovah-Raah -The Lord My Shepherd

Jehovah is translated as "The Existing One" or "Lord."  Rô'eh from which Raah derived, means "shepherd" in Hebrew. A shepherd is one who feeds or leads his flock to pasture.¹

“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want”. Ps 23:1

While growing up my husband’s family raised sheep. Because of this he easily identifies with why God often compares us with them. They truly are a helpless animal. They are totally dependent on their caretaker. They do not learn well, they are practically blind and do not hear well. They really have no sense of danger and will just wonder off getting lost. In the word’s of my husband, “Sheep are stupid animals!”

Sheep are fearful animals and can become confused very easily. It has been known to drown themselves or fall of cliffs. In fact, they have been known to plunge blindly off a cliff following one after another. Sheep can not survive without a shepherd.

Taking care of sheep is not easy, especially during biblical times. They shepherd would often need to battle wolves, lions and other wild animals. (1 Samuel 17:34-35). A good shepherd would be totally prepared to lay down his life in order to protect his flock.

Isaiah says in chapter 53:6 “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way”.  Our own nature has a strong tendency to go astray (Romans 7:5), following the lusts of our flesh and eyes and pursuing the pride of life (1 John 2:16). Just like sheep we are so often prone wander away from the Shepherd. In our flesh we pursue our own desires, rejecting God and sin against Him. We are just like sheep who are vulnerable to dangerous enemy attacks without the protection of our Shepherd.

In John 10:15-18 we read that Jesus declares that He is our Shepherd and He says that He is willing to lay down His life for us, His sheep. Because we are basically just like sheep, we need a shepherd to watch over us and protect us. But not just any shepherd will do, we need Jesus.

Jesus is the great Shepherd who did indeed lay down His life for us so that we could have eternal life. Jesus, our Shepherd, leads us, watches over us, protects us. He makes sure that we are well fed and has the basic needs of life. He also feeds us spiritually. And because He is our Shepherd, we know Him. We know his voice, He knows us and we follow Him. (John 10:25-28)

Just like sheep who hear the voice of their shepherd follow him we need to listen to our Shepherd, Jesus Christ—in His Word and follow Him. We need to trust in His voice even if we can’t see. And we need to rest assured that when one of us wander off and get lost He will leave the others to go find them. (Luke 15”3-7)

Oh God you are my Jehovah Raah, My Great Shepherd. Thank you for giving Your life for me so that I might live forever with you. Thank You for Your constant watchfulness over every aspect of my life. You provide all my needs, you keep me safe and You fight the enemy who seeks to destroy me. Oh God, help me to stay attuned to Your voice so that I might not wander away from Your leading. Amen.

¹Blue Letter Bible.com

Jehovah Nissi- The Lord is My Banner

 Whenever I see this name of God I am reminded of the song we often sang in Sunday School…

Jesus is the rock of my salvation,
His banner over me is love.
Jesus is the rock of my salvation,
His banner over me is love.
Jesus is the rock of my salvation,
His banner over me is love.
His banner... over me... is love

But I always wondered what it meant by “His banner over me is love”? What I understood then was that Jesus’s love was a banner over me. I suppose in a child’s mind it was enough. It was a simple truth.

A time came when I thought there must be more to see. More to understand of God through this name of His. Whether a gift or curse I always think there is a deeper meaning to things. Not only do I think it but then I must seek it. I want to understand. My thirst for knowledge is often both a curse and a blessing.

It wasn’t until years later that I began to understand the deeper, great meaning of Jehovah Nissi, the Lord our Banner. I began to understand how this name is applied to my life daily.

My understanding came in the studying of the word Nissi. BlueLetter.com says that Nissi comes from Nes (nês), which means “banner” in Hebrew. Nes is sometimes translated as a pole with an insignia attached.

Okay, so God is our banner…a pole with an insignia attached. Huh? I had to go deeper and began trying to understand the word banner. Why the word banner? What is a banner used for? What would it have meant to Moses?

Of course I knew what the dictionary says about banner. It’s a long strip of cloth bearing a slogan or design. We use banners everywhere today. But what does that have to do with the Lord being our banner?

I went back to the word of God. What was the context in Exodus 17:8-16 of the Lord is our Banner?

Then Amalek came and fought against Israel at Rephidim.  So Moses said to Joshua, "Choosemen for us and go out, fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand."  Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought against Amalek ; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands were heavy. Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. Thus his hands were steady until the sun set. So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.  Then the LORD said to Moses, "Write this in a book as a memorial and recite it to Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven."  Moses built an altar and named it The LORD is My Banner; and he said, "The LORD has sworn ; the LORD will have war against Amalek from generation to generation."

Do you see it? Moses, with the staff of God in his hand, was being used by God as a banner. A banner or flag in a time of war gives soldiers a feeling of hope. It’s a focal point to remind them why they are fighting.

So, to flesh this out a bit more, Moses standing there with arms raised high, reminded them that the Lord was with them. He was fighting for them. He was fighting with them. It gave them hope. It allowed them to endure through the battle.

Oh then I saw! Oh my! Today our focal point, the “banner” that gives us hope and keeps us going is the cross of Christ. It’s Jesus and the finished worked of the cross.

So today if you find yourself in a battle with your enemy or the enemy remember that Jesus is the rock of your salvation. He is the banner over you. He fights for you and with you.

Today run to your Jehovah Nissi and find refuge. He alone is your hope in times of trials. He will cause you to stand firm and endure that which faces you today.

Adonai - Lord, Master

This is the name of God that speaks of God’s total possession over all that is created. God’s possession of me. Adonai "signifies ownership or mastership and indicates "the truth that God is the owner of each member of the human family, and that He consequently claims the unrestricted obedience of all." ¹

The name Adonai speaks of God as Lord and Master over my life. When Isaiah  heard his Master’s voice he responded to His voice by saying "Here I am. Send me!"  (Is 6:8)

If God is Lord and Master over my life then I will understand that I am His servant. I am a servant worthy to serve my God, my Master.

If God is Lord then I will lay down my life to serve Him and whatever He calls me to do. I will count it a privilege, an honor to serve.
If God is Lord and Master over all my life then I can be confident that whatever He calls me to do he will equip me to carry it out.

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Eph 2:10

Many find it difficult to surrender themselves to Adonai. To make Him Lord over our lives would require us to give up what control we think we might have. To give up a life of self-sufficiency.

Just this week as I have been studying what it means to be transformed by the gospel and looking at the elder son in Luke 15 I have been reminded of this – the need to give up trying to control my life.
I like rules. I like to follow them. I like to know where I stand. Even though I know I can never fulfill the law, I must admit I like having a list of do’s and don’ts. I so often find myself saying, “If you just tell me what to do, how to act, etc… I’ll obey” I just want the “list” so I can do what I am suppose to do.

But the root of all this is my idol. My idol of wanting to control. It’s a constant battle. What God is beginning to show me is that my desire for control, to be lord in my own life is sin. It really hit as I was listening to a sermon by Dr Tim Keller² when he said, “The default of every human heart is self justification. We try to be our own savior and lord, trying to control our own life.”  He was describing me. He was making me look deep inside to see the yuck in my heart.

Somehow it’s not so bad when we say “I have control issues”, but when we see it for what it really is we have no choice but recognize we want to be lord of our own lives. This my dear sisters is sin. It must be repented of. It’s an idol that must be destroyed.

My Adonai I have grieved you by making an idol of self and desiring control. Father shower me with Your grace. Continue to pull back the layers of my heart to reveal that which I still am trying to control. Show me those areas of my life I have not surrendered to You. Come Father and be Lord over all my life. Help me to say as Isaiah did, “Here I am!” Help me to die to all of self that You might live as Lord over all my life.

To know God and to know Christ as Lord (Adonai) means that I must relinquish my desires to want control over my life. I must give up my “rights” and allow Him to have complete reign over me. I must die and and allow Christ to live. (see Phil 1:21)


¹ Nathan Stone. Names of God. The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago, 1944, 2010, 62
² Dr.Tim Keller.Prodigal Sons. http://sermons2.redeemer.com/sermons/prodigal-sons

He IS Father

Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Matt 6:9

 

 

I picked up the study several weeks ago and thumbed through it. I had chosen it because I felt as if my prayer life was lacking something. Lacking depth maybe. Or maybe understanding of what prayer was so suppose to be. I couldn’t put my finger on it exactly but knew I need more. I longed for more.

More of Him. More of His word. More intimacy. I knew it wasn’t Him. It was me. Somewhere along the line I began to loose my desire to pray. It had become something I had to do. Something I felt I should do. It was done out of obedience, but it was lacking something I couldn’t quite see.

So I choose this study (more like God chose it) but as I thumbed through it I quickly realized it was another prayer study on Matt 6:9-13. “Great” I thought, “how many times have I studied this before?” I was discouraged. I wanted something new, something fresh. I wanted to see something I hadn’t seen before. I am just being honest about what I was thinking, and yet I should know better by now. God’s word always has something new, something fresh to those who seek it.

Inside I knew this was the study God had planned. I didn’t understand, but was confident I had heard correctly. So I opened up the book and began in obedient faith that there must be a reason for this study at this time.

One verse, Two truths.

Truth one: This prayer in which is often referred to as “The Lord’s Prayer” is a pattern for us to follow. In this patter Jesus tells us that we are approaching our Father who is in heaven.

Our Father, who is a holy God.  A righteous God. We come before Him in holy worship. He is creator of heaven and earth! Yet because of Jesus I can enter into His presence.

Amazing! The created entering into the presence of the Creator! It’s unfathomable to me to think I could then come before my Father is a common way. In a disrespectful way. I am to come to Him in reverence. A holy respect.

As I thought about this I realized why my heart and soul always felt uncomfortable when I hear someone begin their prayers “Dear Daddy” or “Daddy God”. To me is seems common, almost disrespectful of a Holy God who is my Father.

So I decided to look it up. Most people refer to the use of “Abba” in the Bible saying it refers to a “daddy” kind of relationship. I am not so convinced. The Greek word Abba means Father (not daddy). And “whenever it occurs in the New Testament it has the Greek interpretation joined to it, that is apparently to be explained by the fact that the Chaldee "ABBA" through frequent use in prayer, gradually acquired the nature of a most sacred proper name.”*
Abba, a sacred proper name. I am not so sure daddy fits that meaning.

Truth two: How do we “hallow” God or His name if we do not know God? The author of the study says “Prayer begins with worship – focusing on God, rehearsing truth, calling on God who we know and trust.” **

How can we worship God if we do not know Him? How can we know Him if we are not in the Word? Many of us have some knowledge of God. An understanding in part of who He is. But unless we have been in the Word and studied the truth of His character so often our knowledge is based on what we think or have heard, not on what we know.

This truth has reinforced in me the importance of KNOWING the character of God. We need to study His character and understand WHO He IS. My lack of true biblical knowledge of who He is will affect not only my prayer life but also my attitudes and actions in daily life.

So how do we come to know the truth of God’s character? We must go back to the Old Testament and begin a careful study of His names. What are the names of God? What do they reveal about Him?
Here are just a few…

Elohim – Gen 1:1 – Creator
El Elyon – Gen 14:18-20 – The Most High (Sovereign)
Jehovah-Rapha – Ex 15:26 – The God who Heals
Jehovah-Tsidkenu – Jeremiah 23:6 – The Lord our Righteousness

Over and over the Old Testament reveals the true character of God through the various names that are give to Him. So if prayer begins in worship and we are to hallow His name doesn’t it just make sense to make sure I know Him? Shouldn’t we desire to the the true God of the Bible and not some God we think or imagine Him to be?

Our Father, You are God Almighty. You are creator of heaven and earth and you watch over me, guide me and you promise to never leave me or forsake me. Thank you. Thank you for all that You are and all that You have accomplished in and through me so far in my life. Father I pray that my heart would continue to hunger and thirst after you and that as I continue in this study on prayer that it would affect my relationship with you in ways I can not even imagine. Thank you Father for the life, love and joy you are continuously creating in me. Amen

 
*Thayer and Smith. "Greek Lexicon entry for Abba". "The NAS New Testament Greek Lexicon". . 1999
**Arthur, Kay. “Lord, Teach Me to Pray”. Page 37, paragraph 1 
For a study of God’s names I suggest Lord, I Want to Know You.

But, What About God?

As I have been thinking about all the things I am thankful for I realized that my list is quite long. God has richly blessed me, even in the trials and storms I can see blessings. But something hit me as I was reflecting on my list.

It was about ME! But, What about God? Ultimately isn’t it God to whom all glory and thanksgiving should be given? Is it not He who gives me the blessings?

It’s really not about me at all! Nothing is about me. It’s all God. God’s Spirit living in me gives me everything I need.

So today I want it to be ALL ABOUT GOD!

Today I want to say THANK YOU to my

El Elyon the Most High God. You are the sovereign ruler of all the universe.

El Roi, the God who sees. You are everywhere. You never sleep. I am constantly within your sight. You are always aware of all my circumstances.

El Shaddai, my all-sufficient One. You pour Yourself out for me. You are sufficient. You are all I need.

Jehovah-rapha, the God who heals me of my sin. I am healed completely and forever of my sin. Thank you!

Jehovah-nissi, The Lord is my Banner. You gives victory over my enemy. You provide all I need to fight the battle of my flesh. Because of You, my Jehovah-nissi, I can have victory over my flesh, the world, and the devil.

Jehovah-Sabaoth, the Lord of host. You are the One who delivers and the One who judges. In Your presence I have deliverance. I am safe! Your name is a Strong tower, my stronghold. (Ps 47:7; Prov. 28:20)

Jehovah-tsidkenu, the Lord is my righteousness. This is among one of my favorite names because it tells me I can be right with God. No matter where I have been or what I have done I can have a right standing with my Creator. How? By receiving Jesus Christ as Lord. Because of Jesus and the new Covenant (His blood) God has given me a new heart. Jeremiah 31:33-34 says that God has written His law on my heart, He will forgive me of my sins and remember them no more. I am righteous through Christ. Hallelujah! Oh THANK YOU JESUS!!

You are my Shepherd, my Jehovah-raah who leads me in the path of righteousness, You restore my soul. (Ps 23)

God, You are my Rock, the Shelter in the Storm. I can run to you and be safe.

Thank you God for being a Covenant keeping God. You are trustworthy and You will not fail to keep even one of your promises to Your children.

Thank you Father for being a personal God. A God who wants to be in a deep, loving, covenant relationship with us.

God, I thank you for who you are! You are the great I AM! For there is NO other God beside you!

What about you? What part of God’s character are you MOST thankful for? Would love to hear from you!!

I am also joining in on Thankful Thursday over at Women Taking A Stand.

What’s in a Name?

For several years I have wanted to study the names of God, but for whatever reason it was not His timing that I do until this summer. I bought the book Lord, I Want to Know You a couple of years ago, but it sat on my shelf until now.

With each name I study my understanding of God grows. It grows not necessarily because I am seeing brand new truths but I am understanding the character of God on a deeper level. I am learning that you can not separate any part of His character.

God ALWAYS acts in the totality of His character. We can not isolate one part of who He is without taking into account the whole of who He is.

He is that God who sees, El Roi. He does not sleep, He is always aware of all that goes on in our lives.

He is the all-sufficient God, El Shaddai. He is our Almighty God. In Him we have all that we need.

He is a God who heals, Jehovah-rapha. Complete healing is offered to those who would ask, to those who are in obedience. He heals the sick, the suffering, the lame and blind but what is most important to understand is that He heals us of our SIN!

He is the God who fights for us, Jehovah-nissi. He is our Banner. He provides for us in the midst of a battle when our enemy attacks. We do not fight our enemy, the flesh, alone. We have One who has already won the victory over sin who fights for us. The Lord is My Banner…let us rally there so that He will fight the fight with and for us.

He is the God who sanctifies me, Jehovah-mekoddishkem. Holiness and righteousness is not an option for the child of God. We can not sanctify ourselves.Once we are redeemed by the blood of Christ we move on to sanctification. We are sanctified by Jesus.

He is my Shepherd, Jehovah-raah. I am a dumb sheep and without my Shepherd I would fall to my enemy, stumble over a cliff or just wander away. He guides me, protects me, watches over me and leads me to a higher, better place.

Oh my dear sisters, do you not see how understanding the names of God and their meaning helps us to understand who our God is.

These are only a few of my favorite names and as I study them I fall deeper into a holy appreciation of the God who created me (Elohim-God as creator).

Because God always acts in the totality of his character and He can never be anything other than who HE IS then I can know that I know that the God who sees me is the same God who sees my enemy and will fight for me. The God who is my Shepherd is the same God who sanctifies me, heals my hurts and provides all I need.

So What is in a name?  When we know the names of God we can rightly boast in Him. Kay Arthur writes,

”What do I mean when I say, “boast in the name of our God”? In the Hebrew language the phrase to boast mean to have confidence in His name. In biblical times a name represented a person’s character. God’s name represents His character, His attributes, His nature. To know His name is to know Him. To boast in His name is to have confidence in who He is!” (page 3 of Lord I Want to Know You)

Do you know your God? Do you have confidence in who He is?

“The name of the LORD is a strong tower, the righteous runs to it and is safe” Prov. 18:10

I Just Might Need You

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about God and His name Jehovah-nissi which means The Lord is my Banner. It really means nothing I thought it did. As I have studied and pondered this name of His I am reminded, once again, just how little I know.

This name tells me that I can have victory of my enemy the flesh. A banner is an ensign or standard carried at the head of a battle to indicate the rallying point. The first time we see Jehovah-nissi is in Exodus 17:15. The story in Exodus chapter 17 gives me a valuable principle to use in my life when it comes to defeating my enemy.

As a reminder Exodus 17 is the story of Amalek, the Israelite’s and Moses. Beginning in verse 8 we are told that Amalek came to fight against Israel. Moses tells Joshua to choose men to fight. While they fought on the ground Moses would go to the top of the hill with the staff of God in his hand. As long as Moses held his hand in the air the Israelites prevailed. If he let his hands down Amelek prevailed.

In verse 12 we read that Moses’ hands grew heavy. It was a long battle against this enemy. Amelek was fierce and the Israelites had been weary from walking in the desert.

His hands needed to stay in the air to show the Israelites that God was with them in fighting their enemy. Aaron and Hur had gone up on the hill with Moses and when they saw that he was growing weary they put a stone under him to sit. Then they each took one side of him and supported his hands. With their help Moses was able to keep his hands steady and Joshua overwhelmed Amelek.

God tells them after the battle that He would utterly blot out Amalek. Moses builds an altar and named it The LORD is My Banner; and he said “The LORD has sworn; the LORD will have war against Amelek from generation to generation.” (verse 15-16)

The LORD is My Banner. My enemy is my flesh. (Gal 5:16,17) Jesus has utterly blot out my enemy satan, my flesh. I can have victory over my flesh.

The LORD  is My Banner, He fights for me, with me. I often grow weary. I want to give up. The enemy seems far too much for me. The Lord sends me an “Aaron” and “Hur”. They hold me up when I am about to fall.

Often my flesh fights against the needing of “their” help. I think I can do it on my own. I think I can fight my enemy. So I try and I fail. I am defeated.

I just might need you to help. I may need your help to fight my flesh. You just might need my help. It’s what the body of Christ is for, to help fight the great battle of the flesh. We can have victory. The flesh doesn’t have to have power over me. It’s hard sometimes to admit, but it is true, I just might need you.

Paul says in Gal 5 that if you belong to Christ Jesus you have crucified the flesh. This is something that has already occurred. In reality the flesh has no power over the Christian. It’s a war we fight here on earth, but we can have the victory.

Apart from God I can do nothing. (John 15:5). It’s only through my Jehovah-nissi that I have victory over my flesh, the world and satan.

El Roi – The God who sees

I recently heard a quote that said “People see what I do, God sees why I do it”

There was a time when that thought scared me. El Roi, a God who sees everything I do AND the motives behind it. But as I have gotten to know the various characteristics of God I have come to love my God, El Roi.

He sees ME! I mean He really SEES me!

From the moment I was born until the day I die He watches over me and sees every joy, pain, hurt, suffering, and I am not alone – EVER!

The God of heaven and earth SEES ME and LOVES me.

El Elyon, Sovereign Ruler

While on vacation last month I had the privilege to sit on the beach almost daily. There wasn’t a day that I wasn’t struck by my God, El Elyon.

El Elyon is the name of God that describes Him as the sovereign ruler of all the universe.

Sovereign ruler. El Elyon who rules the affairs of man. Sovereign God who has everything in His control and works out ALL things according to His purposes.

He is sovereign over all things even me, my life and all that touches it. I don’t always understand but I have learned to walk by faith and learn to just trust in my God, El Elyon.

 

I will cry to God Most High,

to God who accomplishes

all things for me.

Psalm 57:2