Which of the names of God spoke to you this week, made you intake a breath in awe or desire to praise Him out loud? This week we looked at God the Lord of Hosts or Lord of Heaven’s Armies, our Husband with all of us being the Bride of Christ at the Wedding Feast of the Lamb- Jesus, Provider God, God my Rock, Wonderful Counselor and God of Love. God has so many facets to His character and it is so amazing how He can relate to each one of us in a personal way. God is a personal God. David felt that way and expressed his love, devotion and awe for who God is in the Psalms. Let’s continue in Psalm 37.
The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; 24 though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand. David knew God was upholding him.
25 I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. 26 He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing. David had real life experiences with God’s goodness.
27 Turn away from evil and do good; so shall you dwell forever. 28 For the Lord loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off. 29 The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever.…..David knew that walking in His ways would bring blessings.
39 The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble. David knew to hold onto God. 40 The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him. David knew delivery and salvation come from God.
Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can know God will uphold me, experience His goodness, walk with Him to experience His blessings, know God will hold onto me during the storms of life and deliver me home!
As we enter this 5th week of Lent, may you be mindful or your sin and let your praises rise to Him! He’s got you!!
Linda
P.S. I think the name of God that resonated the most with me this week was God is my Rock. I can cling to Him, take refuge in His arms and hide within Him. He is always steadfast and faithful- my rock. It makes me want to praise Him!!
The name for today, LOVE, I think of more as an attribute of God but it also encompasses His character and describes Him. God is love and shows love. He is motivated by love and His love is eternal.
The greatest expression of God’s love was sending His only Son, Jesus to come to earth and atone for our sins so we could be reconciled to Him. We were broken away from Him by the sin of Adam and Eve in the garden. Jesus restored a pathway to God by dying on the cross and being raised from the dead. He suffered, died and conqueror sin for us. I love John 3:16 as it speaks to the heart of God, His love for us. John 3:16“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Through faith in Jesus, we gain access to eternal life with Him.
1 John 4:9-10 puts it this way: “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” Propitiation is a big word but it simply means Jesus died in our place and was the atonement for our sin.
In 1 John 4:16-19 John speaks about the nature of God = LOVE. Knowing His love and abiding in it, we will know Him. His is a perfect love for us and it started with Him! Loving Him was not our idea but God’s! “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because he first loved us.“
God’s love is throughout scripture. In the Old Testament it is often referred to as God’s steadfast love. He wanted His people to know His love for them, in spite of their rejection and unfaithfulness, was unchanging and eternal. He will never leave us nor forsake us and He can be counted upon. David repeatedly spoke of God’s steadfast love in the Psalms. His heart was filled with love and devotion to God. I loved Psalm 59:16-17 “But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress. 17 O my Strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love. His love is with me all day and night. He is my fortress, refuge and strength. He shows me constant steadfast love!
Unlike man, God’s love is filled with forgiveness and restoration. Micah 7:8 “Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love.
Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can experience God’s love for me daily and will be with Him in eternity. Thank you Jesus! Walk in God’s love today!
One of the most precious names for Jesus is written in Isaiah. He is called Wonderful Counselor. This is precious because one of the ways He helps us intimately and personally is by being our Counselor. Human counselors hear people’s woes, joys and sorrows along with giving them advice. Our Lord Jesus will hear our confession and give forgiveness, our troubles and offer comfort, our joys and rejoice with us and sorrows and offer peace. There is no counselor in life as wonderful as our Lord Jesus.
The Isaiah passage speaks of the coming Messiah. One who will come as a child and be many things to those who believe. He will be our counselor, God himself, eternal Father and our Prince of Peace. No one compares to the Lord Jesus. Isaiah 9:6“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
The counsel of the Lord will be unmatched according to Job in 12:12-13 “Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding? 13 “To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his. We can never find one to match the wisdom and counsel of the Lord. Trust in His counsel.
His Word will always provide needed counsel for us. Thank you Lord. Psalm 119:24 “Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors.
As my Counselor, Jesus will be my guide and keep His eye upon me. Psalm 32:8 “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.” Another verse that speaks of God keeping his loving eye upon us is 2 Chronicles 16:9a “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” We can count upon His watchful eye which are consistent with his omnipresent character.
Lastly, I want to mention Psalm 16:6-8. This is one of my favorite verses as it speaks of the goodness of God and how in and through my praise He counsels me. Psalm 16: 6-8The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. 7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. 8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can be counseled by God 24/7, guided and provided with the most magnificent wisdom in all the universe. Thank you Jesus for loving me this much.
Jehovah-Sel’i or the Lord is my Rock is a new name for me. The Lord is listed repeatedly in scripture by the writers as my rock and I never saw it as a specific name for God. David often spoke this name for God as he saw God as the one who held him together and protected him at the most difficult times of his life. David was anointed to be King by Samuel while Saul was still king. David never threated Saul and was patiently waiting for God to move him into the king’s position. Saul on the other hand, was anxious to see David killed so his line and kingship would continue. David wrote Psalm 18 when under duress and persecution from Saul. Saul sought to kill David for 14 years before his death. You can hear the heart of David in his words and his true feelings about God his rock.
Psalm 18: 1-5“I love you, O Lord, my strength. 2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. God was the one upon whom he depended. 3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.
4 The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me; Even though Saul tried to kill him,5 the cords of Sheol entangled me; David clung to God his Rock. the snares of death confronted me.
31-33 “For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?— 32 the God who equipped me with strength David praises God’s steadfastness and made my way blameless. and His equipping. 33 He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights.
46-48 “The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation— 47 the God who gave me vengeance Praise God, my rock! He saved me! and subdued peoples under me, 48 who rescued me from my enemies; yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me; you delivered me from the man of violence.
I love this Psalm as it shows how David leaned upon God for his strength, courage, rescuing, equipping, and steadfastness. God was the immovable Rock that David could cling to in all times and in all seasons. No matter the circumstances, David knew that God would be there. Psalm 94:22 David writes these words, “But the Lord has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge.”
Who is God to you? Is He one to be depended upon at all times, confided in, trusted with your most difficult problems and your hopes and dreams? Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can know the Rock of my salvation and cling to Him, hide behind and within Him and know He will never change. He is immutable and as Hebrews 13:8 states, “Jesus Christ is the sameyesterday and today and forever.” We can depend upon our unchanging God just like David.
One of my favorite names of God is Provider. There is so much to this name that it always reassures me and makes me smile. God promises to be our provider. When looking in scriptures there are several words that may appear, provides, supplies, and lack for nothing give the meaning of God as provider.
God provided for Abraham on Mt. Moriah. God had told him to go and sacrifice his son on the mountain. They took wood and other supplies but no lamb. When Isaac questioned his father about this, Abraham said, “God will provide”. Indeed He did as we read in Genesis 22:13-14 “And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.” During the reign of King Hezekiah the Israelites were attacked by the king of Assyria. Hezekiah prayed and laid Sennacherib’s blaphemous letter before God and asked for rescue. God miraculously provided victory and saved them. 2 Chronicles 32:20-22 “Then Hezekiah the king and Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, prayed because of this and cried to heaven. 21 And the Lord sent an angel, who cut off all the mighty warriors and commanders and officers in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he came into the house of his god, some of his own sons struck him down there with the sword. So the Lord saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria and from the hand of all his enemies, and he provided for them on every side.” The Bible is filled with passages that show God’s great provision for His people.
God often goes to great lengths to provide for those with physical needs. In Psalm 68:9-10 the psalmist recalls how God treated the Israelites as they wandered in the wilderness. “Rain in abundance, O God, you shed abroad; you restored your inheritance as it languished;10 your flock found a dwelling in it; in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy.” God provided manna 6 days a week with a double portion on day 6 for 40 years! Exodus 16:4-5 “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not. 5 On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.” Then God also agreed to provide meat, Exodus 16:8a “And Moses said, “When the Lord gives you in the evening meat to eat and in the morning bread to the full,” Many other places God provided food. He fed Elijah in the wilderness by a raven and He multiplied the widow’s flour and oil to last as long as needed. Can you recall a time when God provided food when you least expected it or sorely needed it?
God’s greatest provision is Jesus. He provided a way for us to be reconciled to Him. 2 Peter 1:11 “For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
What promise about God as provider is dearest to you? David was thankful that God watched over him especially in the presence of his many enemies. He wrote Psalm 23 from the heart of one who loves and appreciates God as provider. Psalm 23:1, 5-6 “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” God also promises to supply what we need. That does not mean He will give us all we want, but when we are doing His work He will see that we have the needed resources to do the job. That might include physical, spiritual and emotional support or all of them. I love Philippians 4:19 “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” All things are possible in Christ. Jesus said in Matthew 19:26 “But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God allthingsarepossible.” Shouldn’t we be encouraged and assured by Jesus’ words and promises!
Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can know with assurance that God is my provider and He will work all things for His good and my glory. Romans 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” When we belong to Him, we can trust Him to provide. He is the great Provider.
In the Old Testament, God is referred to as our husband. This is more fully defined when one considers the idea in Revelation where the Church, all believers, are called the Bride of Christ. God in His grace and wisdom is actually both. He is the one who cares for widows and says He will be their husband. Isaiah’s words spoken to the Israelites were an encouragement to them. He wanted them to know in spite of their past sins, God was there steadfast and true. He would stand with them.
Isaiah 54:6 “Fear not, for you will not be ashamed; be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.” Isaiah begins in verse 6 with truths about no fear and no shame, all will be forgotten which was so reassuring and then he launches into a glorious piece of scripture that shows God as husband, redeemer, Lord of Hosts, and God of the whole earth.
Isaiah 54:5-8 “For your Maker is your husband,God is creator, husband the Lord of hosts is his name; Lord of Hosts and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, Holy one of Israel, Redeemer the God of the whole earth he is called. God of the whole earth. 6 For the Lord has called you like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit, like a wife of youth when she is cast off, God saw your pain says your God. 7 For a brief moment I deserted you, You were deserted, to Babylon for a brief time but with great compassion I will gather you. 8 In overflowing anger for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,” God loves you. says the Lord, your Redeemer.
The relationship between husband and wife is a picture of God and His people. The husband is to care for his wife as Christ loves the believers. In Revelation, Christ is named as the Lamb and the Church, all believers, are to be His Bride! There will be a huge feast in heaven to celebrate.
Revelation 19:7-8 “Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; 8 it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.” The Bride of Christ is clothed in fine line, bright and pure which represents the righteous deeds done by believers in the name of Christ.
What about these images brings you peace and hope? I take comfort in knowing that God is my husband and stands in with all widows and those who are alone. I know the relationship of husband and wife is a caring one where God will watch over me as no one else ever can. Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can participate in the marriage of the Lamb in heaven and until then He will be with me standing beside me and upholding me. The wedding feast will be a joyous event as all the Church will be with Him in heaven.
The LORD of HOSTS, Jehovah Sabaoth, is the commander of the Heavenly Army! Who else but God himself would be leading them? Psalm 46:7 “The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress.” The New Living Translation uses the phrase Lord of Heaven’s Armies often however, in the ESV translation it reads, “The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” It seems that the two phrases are interchangeable. Hosts refers to the angel army of God=heavenly army. Isaiah 47:4 makes this name very clear, “Our Redeemer—the Lord of hosts is his name— is the Holy One of Israel.” When Isaiah had a vision of the throne room of God he saw the seraphim proclaiming God’s glory, Isaiah 6:3 “And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lordofhosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”
What does this army do under God’s command? Psalm 91:1 is a verse to cherish and claim, “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” God is always watching out for us and directs His angels to do so for Him. In 2 Samuel 5:10 scripture describes the Lord of Heaven’s armies as giving David strength, “And David became more and more powerful, because the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies was with him.” In the Psalm it describes the Lord of Heaven’s armies as being with them, as we know He is, Psalm 46:7 “The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress.” Psalm 84:8, He listens to our prayers, “O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, hear my prayer. Listen, O God of Jacob.” Psalm 84:12 He brings joy when we trust Him, “O Lordof Heaven’s Armies, what joy for those who trust in you.” The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is the avenger of all nations who have wronged Israel. Scripture speaks of His wrath towards Babylon, Assyria, Egypt and even against His own people for abandoning Him and worshipping idols. The Apostle Paul quotes Isaiah in Romans 9:28-30 showing us “For the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth quickly and with finality.”29 And Isaiah said the same thing in another place: “If the Lord of Heaven’s Armies had not spared a few of our children, we would have been wiped out like Sodom, destroyed like Gomorrah.” God was merciful towards those who loved Him and showed them grace they did not deserve.
This name of God is powerful and filled with action as we envision God as the Commander and Chief of His Army. It is just another facet of our all -powerful sovereign God. Blessedly He reminds us in Pslam 80:19 that He is there for us. “ Restore us, O Lord God ofhosts! Let your face shine, that we may be saved! The Lord of Hosts is patient with us and desires that we be saved!
Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can know, serve and be saved and protected by the Lord of Hosts, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. What a privilege it is to have the Lord of the Heavenly Army supporting and defending me. Someday we will be with Him in glory and can praise Him with the words Isaiah heard, Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts!
What is God teaching you during this Lenten season? Are you worrying less and trusting Him more? Are you repenting more quickly and learning to recognize your sin? Each season of life brings new challenges and new ways to walk with Him. The psalmist here in Psalm 37:7-9 is in a season of waiting, maybe you can identify.
Psalm 37:7-9 “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! Do you need to wait and not fret over evil? 8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. Do you need to hold yourself more in check? 9 For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land. Do you trust God is in control?
Learning to walk with Jesus causes us to stop and listen to Him. Letting the Holy Spirit fill us and then allowing Him to help us practice self-control. Learn to let yourself lean into Jesus and trust Him for the outcome. I know this is easier said than done, but God has a plan and purpose for each of us, special things for us to do and we need to focus upon those things. Claim Jeremiah 29:11 -God has good plans for you! “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” and -God has work for you to do Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can walk with Jesus each day and be filled with His Holy Spirit to guide and direct me. He will lead me in His pathway if I listen to Him. Meditate on Psalm 37 and learn to Be Still before Him. Leaning into Jesus will bring results of the heart and mind.
I find this name for God more of a concept, our Source. God is creator of all things and is in all things too. The dictionary defines source as: the point of origin, the initiator, supplier, the fountain head. All of these meanings can be related to God as He is the beginning of all as He existed before creation. He initiated the creation of the universe and all that we know. He supplies all needs and is the living spring from which all things flow.
Here are some scriptures that match these meanings in amazing ways! Point of origin and initiator, John 1:3 “Allthings were made throughhim, and without him was not any thing made that was made.” Colossians 1:16 “For by himallthings were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—allthings were created throughhim and for him.” Romans 11:36 “For from him and throughhim and to him are allthings. To him be glory forever. Amen.” All of these describe our Creator God as the one who started it all and made everything as we know it! The true Source!
We all know God as the ultimate supplier or source. Philippians 4:16 “I can do allthingsthroughhim who strengthens me.” and another way of saying this is, John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you candonothing.” Apart from Him we can do nothing. With Him we can claim all things are possible, Mark 10:26-27 “And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”
Lastly, the beginning of a river is called its source. Jesus is the Source of our life giving water from God. John 7:38 “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of livingwater.’” Revelation 7:17 speaks of this living water in heaven, “For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of livingwater, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Jesus is the lamb of God and will be the source of living water in heaven!
In my second book Promises for Dynamic Living, I used 2 Peter 1:13 as my guiding verse. “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,” He has granted us divine power for living so we can glorify Him in our lives. Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead,I can know the Source of life, taste of His water, be under His care and know all things come through Him. He is the perfect source to provide for me both physically and spiritually. Is He your Source too? Know the Source by trusting in Jesus.
Linda
Promises for Dynamic Living is available on Amazon, Promises for Dynamics Living/LindaKnight or from my publisher, Certabooks.com
Today’s name of God, Jehovah Mekoddishkem or The LORD Sanctifies is essential to our Christian theology. Since man’s sin in the garden we have been separated from God by our sin. God is holy and we are not because of our willfulness, rebellion and outright rejection of God. To make a way for man to be reconciled to Him, God provided the law to show the way of right living and the sacrifices to atone for the sins of the people. The sacrifices were only a temporary fix to the problem and were a picture of Christ to come. Jesus was the perfect holy sacrifice that through faith in His work on the cross and resurrection, we can be restored to a relationships with God. The name- The LORD Sanctifies describes God’s part in this to bring us back to Him. Leviticus 20:7-8 “Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God. 8 Keep my statutes and do them; I am the Lord who sanctifies you.” Only Holy God can restore us and make us pure, sanctified, so we may come before Him.
The writer of Hebrews explains this a bit more and helps us to see Jesus as the atonement provided by God. Hebrews 10:10-14 “And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Chris had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. What thousands of sacrifices had not been able to accomplish permanently, Jesus did on the cross. Once was enough and it was accomplished, the way of forgiveness and the pathway back to communion with God was opened to us. Thank you Jesus!
Paul talks about our sanctification, which is a process of becoming more and more like Jesus. We are clean before God through the cleansing blood of Jesus but we live in a sinful world. 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8 “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. 7 For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. 8 Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.“ Walking with Jesus grows as we mature in our faith and are more able to cast off sin and temptations that surround us in this world and focus on Him. We will never be free of sin until we are with Him, but we can become more and more like Jesus as we walk with Him.
Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead,Through faith in Jesus I can experience the process of sanctification by the Holy Spirit as I seek to live for Him. Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 that we can rely upon God for this process and trust in His faithfulness. “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.“
Fearless Living 