365 Days of Praise
Praise to JEHOVAH-Shammah, the Lord is There
“…the name of the city from that day shall be: THE LORD IS THERE.” Hebrew. YHWH Shammah
In our study and praise of the Lord each day, we’re often familiar with the ways in which God is revealed. That may not be the case with Jehovah-Shammah, the LORD is There. What does this name indicate? I looked to Herbert Lockyer’s “All the Divine Names and Titles in the Bible” to explain.
“Ezekiel saw the glory of God, and recorded its departure from the Temple because of Israel’s idolatry and iniquity. He likewise saw judgment upon Jerusalem, and the setting up of the Prince, the second David, as the channel of Israel’s future blessing – the judgements of God and Magog – the setting up of an ideal city with the restoration of the Temple within it. The name of this ideal commonwealth or kingdom is to be Jehovah-Shammah – “The LORED is there” – so called because of the manifest present and power of Jehovah therein.”
Lockyer continues, “Here, then, in this consoling title, the last of Jehovah’s titles, …He designates Himself as the Dweller from beyond space in the millennial city of Jerusalem. In the past, Tabernacle and Temple alike were His dwelling place, but in the future a wider sphere is to be His. During the millennium there will be the Temple and the City. In the New Jerusalem, however, there is no Temple, but the LORD Himself, as Jehovah-Shammah.”
Heavenly Father, we praise You for Your eternal dwelling in our hearts. We look with hope and anticipation to the New Jerusalem and being in the presence of You, Jehovah-Shammah.
Record each of God’s divine names in Prayers of My Heart, available HERE.
Thank You, JEHOVAH-TSIDKENU
In His days Judah will be saved,
And Israel will dwell securely;
And this is His name by which He will be called,
‘The Lord our righteousness.’
Something wows me about this verse. It’s not that Judah will be saved, or even that the Israelites will one day live in peace. It’s not that the Lord is righteous. The word “our” wows me. It sends me to my knees – literally. It’s the reason I’m on my knees every morning, bowing before the Lord. I’m “wowed” because I’m included in the “our.” I’m not on the outside looking in, longing to be in right standing before God. I’m on the inside looking at His face…praising Him. I’m on my knees because I know I’m a sinner. But, that no longer defines my relationship with my Creator. Christ Jesus defines my relationship with the Heavenly Father as righteous. Because I am in Christ and He, Jehovah-Tsidkenu, is in me, I am saved. Christ is in us…we who call on Jesus for salvation, are assured of an eternal secure dwelling. The LORD is OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS – JEHOVAH-TSIDKENU.
Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ, all honor and praise and glory belong to You!
Praise to JEHOVAH-RA-AH
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
Standing at the grocery store, I noticed the child from the corner of my eye. You couldn’t help but notice. He was throwing a temper tantrum. “I want it!” he wailed at the top of his lungs. The bedraggled mother tried her best to wrestle the package of M & Ms from his hands, while struggling at the same time to apologize the cashier. She didn’t dare look at the customers in line behind her. Tommy “wanted” the M & M’s. That was clear. But, his mother knew full well that her child wasn’t lacking for food.
His temper tantrum wasn’t unfamiliar to me. Although I don’t like to admit it, I’m a lot like Tommy. I may not lay in the floor and kick and scream. But when I get my mind around what I want and I don’t get it, I’m rather like him. I may complain. I may whine in my spirit. I may sulk. I may cry out loud on occasion. What makes me different from Tommy? Height and weight. What makes me different from David? He had a keen grasp on something I often forget – there’s a difference between what I “want” and what I “lack.”
David’s psalm best reads, “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack for nothing.” In other words, the Lord fed him, watched over him, led him, protected him. And, David was keenly mindful of his Shepherd’s provision.
Maybe there are times when you’re like me; more aware of what we want than of what we don’t lack. If so, and you want to develop an attitude of gratitude, join me in daily journaling that for which we’re thankful each day. Prayers of My Heart prayer journal is now available and has several places where we can list that for which we’re thankful. I received a early copy from my publisher and in addition to writing PTL for “Praise the Lord” beside answered prayer, I’m also using the Month at A Glance section to daily record that for which I’m grateful. Check out the 7 Benefits of Journaling in the “Look Inside” Welcome. Get a quick glimpse of the other sections where you can record your gratefulness to God HERE. Let’s develop an attitude of gratitude for the Lord, our Shepherd and join David in praising Him, “You are Jehovah-Ra-ah. I lack for nothing.”
Praise to JEHOVAH-SHALOM
Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and named it The LORD is Peace.
Peace. Everyone’s looking for it. But where? A joint. A win. A bonus. Vacation. Pills. Success. A hook up? But what happens after the joint, win, bonus, vacation, pills, success, or break up?
In the meantime and while seeking peace, life goes on. Worriers worry. Whiners whine. Complainers complain. Wheat beaters beat wheat. And, that’s where we find Gideon. Beating wheat in a wine press…to hide it, to save the wheat from enemy terrorists who would destroy it.
Worriers worry. Whiners whine. Complainers complain. Wheat beaters beat wheat. And Jehovah-Shalom, LORD of Peace, brings peace. So that’s where we find Him…with the wheat beater at the wine press; extending peace to the wheat beater and re-assigning him to “Valiant Warrior.”
Wheat beater to Warrior. And for what purpose? To save more than wheat from the destroying enemy; …to save people from the destroying enemy and restore peace to the nation.
Jehovah-Shalom, LORD of Peace, came to a nation threatened by destroying enemies; to people who worshipped Baal. Jehovah-Shalom not only came to Gideon, His Spirit of peace and power came upon Gideon. Isn’t that what each of us needs?
What do we learn from Jehovah-Shalom and Gideon about personal and national peace?
- Worship the Lord of Peace, Jehovah-Shalom.
- Be filled with the Lord’s Spirit of peace and power.
- Remove destroying gods and fight valiantly for righteousness.
Jehovah-Shalom, LORD of PEACE, only as we look and listen to You can we embrace Your peace. Only by Your Spirit can we overcome evil. Fill us, as You did Gideon, with Your peace and empowerment.
Praise to JEHOVAH-NISSI
Nations and schools have them. Businesses and clubs. Flags. Banners. We hold them high. Our banner means we’re staying and not leaving. We’re laying claim to what is ours. And, so, Moses raised the banner of the Lord. Here’s how it happened:
Amalek came and fought against Israel at Rephidim. So Moses said to Joshua,
Choose men 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.
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. Moses built an altar and named it The Lord is My Banner;…
Have you been battling something and you’re tired? You have a heavy heart? Heavy hands? Maybe you’re not in the actual battle, but you’re standing with someone who is and needs encouragement? We’re in this together, just like Moses, Aaron, Hur, and Joshua were. Although Christ has won the eternal victory, we continue to battle our flesh and the enemy. Evil is going to win or we are . Our flesh is going to take ground or we are. We’ll daily look more like Christ or look like the world. The pressure to give into the enemy, the world, and our flesh is real. We need cheerleaders; someone to come to our side and hold high the banner of the Lord; reminding us who our Great God is and that we can win by His power.
The Israelites won the battle as long as they could see God’s staff, the banner that represented Him and His great power.
We can lift high God’s banner, His name and power to our friends and family. How? Share “365 Days of Praise.” Moses, Aaron, and Hur held up God’s banner all day. It takes 30 seconds for us to click on the FB, Twitter, or share link. Will you join me in daily holding up God’s name and power by sharing these posts? Who in your family and which of your friends could use the daily reminder that God is in the battle with them?
Heavenly Father, we often feel there’s little we can do to make a difference in our crazy mixed up world. But, one thing we can do is lift high Your name so others are reminded of Your great power. Thank You, Jehovah-Nissi, our banner.
Praise to JEHOVAH-RAPHA
And He said, “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the Lord, am your healer.”
Are you in a desperate spot? Sick of body, mind, or soul? Are you frustrated because you’re not caring for yourself in the way you should? If so, I can relate. Our bodies, minds, and emotions are wonderfully made. But, if we don’t take care of them, and even sometimes if we do, they break or get sick. Disease can strike…physically, spiritually, emotionally. But, let’s zoom in on a way our Heavenly Father chose to reveal Himself. Israel had just celebrated with singing their crossing of the Red Sea and escape from the Egyptians. After three days in the wilderness and no water, they arrive at the waters of Marah, but the water was bitter. They couldn’t drink it. Picture the scene. You’re dying of thirst…looking at water you can’t drink. And you can’t do a thing about it. You can’t fix it. Are you there now in your life? You have a problem and can’t fix it?
Moses is desperate. He “cried out” to the Lord. And Jehovah-Rapha “showed him” what to do. Rapha means healer; to mend, cure, make whole. Jehovah-Rapha showed Moses what to do: throw a certain tree in the water. It worked. The water became sweet. Which brings us to question – what have we cried out to Jehovah-Rapha about? What has He shown us to do? Are we doing it?
Jehovah-Rapha’s message is very clear to us.
- “If”… that means there’s a choice we make with a correlating consequence.
- “we give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord our God” …. that means if we pay attention when He shows us what to do.
- “and do what is right”….Moses had to do the work of cutting the tree and throwing it into the water. We have to act on what Jehovah-Rapha shows us.
- “in His sight”….God is watching to see if we’re doing what He showed us.
- “and give ear to His commandments”… He knows what works. Do we pay more attention to our car manual than or the Bible?
God is our spiritual, emotional, relational, mental, physical doctor. Have we cried out to Him? Are we doing what He’s shown us?
Jehovah-Rapha, Lord our Healer, we praise You for the complete healing we’ll experience in heaven. In the meantime, move in our hearts to look to You for direction and act according to what You show us.
Praise to JEHOVAH-JIREH
“Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.”
Have you ever felt desperate and cried out to God for help to fulfill what He’s asked of you? Such was the case for Abraham. God asked him to sacrifice his son, Isaac. It seems crazy and incomprehensible to us, but God never intended for Abraham to kill his son. And Abraham knew that. He told his servants, “We will return,” not “I will return.” But Abraham also knew that God told him to sacrifice Isaac, so he took all the steps not knowing what would happen. One step of faith at a time. In the final moment, as he raised the killing knife, God stopped him. He then provided a ram for Abraham to substitute in the place of his son. It was a foreshadow of God providing Jesus as our sacrifice. But in the demand of a human father being asked to sacrifice his son, we catch a glimpse of the pain and sacrifice of God sacrificing Jesus for us. God provided for Abraham and for us.
JEHOVAH-JIREH, You are our wonderful Lord who sees our needs and then provides Yourself as the fulfillment for it. We love You.
Praise to JEHOVAH
“I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name, LORD, (JEHOVAH) I did not make Myself known to them.”
JEHOVAH means self-existent One or “the existing One.” As God explained to Moses in Exodus 3:14, He is “I AM WHO I AM.” Bible scholar Charles Ryrie, explains, “It is a name of relationship between the true God and His people and when used, emphasizes God’s holiness, hatred of sin, and love of sinners.” * I’m so glad that the self-existing LORD who is holy and hates sin, loves us, aren’t you?
Lord God, JEHOVAH, we praise You and thank You that You love us and have provided salvation for us!
*Ryrie Study Bible, New American Standard Bible 1995 Update, Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Moody Press, Chicago, pg 2057.
Praise to Our JEALOUS LORD
“—for you shall not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God—”
Heavenly Father, You are JEALOUS for our affection and worship. Please help us remember to not put other people, interests, or affections before You, our precious Lord and Savior.
Praise to the INVISIBLE LORD
“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”
“I can’t see God, so how do you know He’s there?” people sometimes ask. I think one of the best responses is found in Romans 1:19-20. “because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His INVISIBLE attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” In other words, look at the glory of the heavens. Look at the glory of the flowers and trees. Look at the wonder of the human body. God may be invisible, but His presence is clearly seen.
King eternal, immortal, INVISIBLE God, we praise You and thank You for the glory of Your creation and for making Yourself clearly seen through Your handiwork.