Skip to main content

Jehovah-Shammah


“The distance all around will be 18,000 cubits. “And the name of the city from that time on will be: THE LORD IS THERE. (Ezekiel 48:35)

           

JEHOVAH-SHAMMAH “The Lord who is present”

          I have to begin this with a disclaimer. It seems to me that this passage says that the name of the city is Jehovah-Shammah, not that a name of God is Jehovah-Shammah. That being  said, Scripture makes it clear that God is Jehovah-Shammah even if this passage doesn't. Jehovah-Shammah was present in Abraham's life, and Isaac's, Jacob's and Joseph's, in Moses' and Joshua's. Read Hebrews 11 as a Cliff Notes version of the Bible with regard to God's presence. 
         There are many times when I fail to keep Jehovah-Shammah in mind, times when I don't see His face or hand, and when I don't hear His voice. The fault is mine, whether through weakness or through the willful ignore-ance of spiritually putting my fingers in my ears, closing my eyes and saying "lalalalalala." Yes, His voice is often quiet. We have to look and listen for it, sometimes for a long time. It doesn't always come to us the way we want it to, when we want it to, or with the answer we want to get. 
         I've told this story before. I tend to get lost partly because I'm not paying close enough attention to where I'm going. I have whined to God many times that I am worried that I'll miss the "exit" I'm supposed to take. After years of my whining, He asked me whether I missed the exit when I went to college, when I came home from college, when I went back to college, and a series of other examples in my life. To each I had to (sheepishly) say, "Well, no." He then asked, "Then what makes you think I'll let you miss the next exit?" He has not. He has been with me through changes and struggles, guiding and protecting. He continues to be with me through good times and bad, richer and poorer, in sickness and in health, and He has promised to remain as long as we both shall live.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The List

              Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,   through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;   perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (Romans 5:1-5)           Think about it. We have been justified. At least, we could be justified if we stopped insisting that our justification be based on our merits. We have peace with God, or could have peace if we stopped throwing temper tantrums. We have gained access into grace i...
Post a Comment
Read more

Listen!

  While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (Matthew 17:5)            Do you like roller coasters? I don't. You spend forever climbing a hill. You get to the top and have half a second, then you race down to a low point. Sometimes the racing down involves tying your insides into knots. At the bottom, you either have to be dragged up another hill or you get off the ride. Peter's life was a roller coaster from the time he met Jesus. There would be miracles, and then Jesus would teach things that didn't always make sense, and then they'd go out and perform miracles, and return to be taught. Peter was praised for giving the right answer to "Who do you say that I am?" Jesus said that said answer came from God. Peter was at the top of the hill.            ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Prayer Lists

                 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. (I Peter 2:2-3)   In connection with what I wrote yesterday about the possibility that I’m wrong, I’m feeling the need to go back to basics - craving spiritual milk because somehow, I missed something. It’s a little embarrassing, craving milk like a newborn, but the truth probably is that we are newborns many times in many ways in our lives. From God’s perspective, we may never be anything more than newborns, forever needing that milk. On the other hand, being a newborn can also be exciting because so much is new. My mind is playing pinball - ricocheting from one idea to the next and through six more before it happens to hit the third again. The main topic is prayer. I have at least seven organizing structures all somewhat influenced by the movie War Room , which I’v...
Post a Comment
Read more