Waiting in the Wings

For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.

Tag: names of God

Mercy Is His Name

Lamb of God ” by Meghan Williams, Dyed4you Art

Mercy is a central part of God’s nature—in fact, His name is mercy. In Exodus 34, God responded to Moses’ desire to see His glory. And as He passed before Moses, verse 5 says that He “proclaimed the name of the LORD.” And the proclamation that rolled forth was: “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.”

I don’t know about anyone else, but many times when I would read this Scripture, I would find myself quite focused on the latter half of the verse! I trembled at the God who punished the guilty and allowed iniquity to be a generational inheritance! Due to my own woundings in life, I found it hard to see the other side of God’s character—His overwhelming heart of mercy. And I think my struggles with perceiving (and receiving) mercy have been due, in part, to how I learned to interpret much of Scripture.

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The Name

“His Holy Name” by Meghan Williams, Dyed4you Art

Exodus 6:3 (NLT)  I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty’—but I did not reveal my name, Yahweh, to them.

In Exodus 6:3, God makes an interesting statement to Moses. He says, “I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty’—but I did not reveal my name, Yahweh, to them.” There are Jewish scholars who claim that this Scripture isn’t saying that the forefathers of the faith didn’t know that “Yahweh” was one of God’s many names. Instead, the side of God’s character that the forefathers saw throughout their lives was only El Shaddai—the all-powerful God, their sufficiency and sustainer. However, generations later in Egypt, the children of Israel witnessed the character of God in a way their forefathers did not. Yahweh—whose very name reflects that He is the source of all existence and being—showed His power in a way that completely defied the laws of nature.

Whether we realize it or not, God reveals Himself to us through different names at different times. We come to know the many facets of His character through each of these names. Sometimes the “name” family members or brothers and sisters in Christ know God by may not be the same name that we know Him by. We may grow up perceiving the Creator, at first, only as Elohim—God, ruler, and judge of the universe. When we receive salvation, we come to know Him as Haggo’el—the Redeemer. And as the Spirit of Adoption draws us closer to our Creator’s heart, we may come to know God as Abba—our Father.

Yet an infinite God has an infinite number of names. And as our life experience transforms, He continues to reveal those names by revealing His character at greater depths. Therefore, it may behoove us to occasionally pause and reflect on God’s interactions with us in different seasons. The Holy Spirit can reveal the name that God is making Himself known by at that time. By inquiring about the name that God is revealing for you at any given time, you will have the opportunity to see who He wants to be in your life now and forevermore. Even more, because God is your Father, it’s important to see how He is imparting aspects of His nature into you. 

The Name of the Lord

“Refuse to Be Moved” by Meghan Williams, Dyed4you Art

Proverbs 18:10 (AMP) The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous runs to it and is safe and set on high [far above evil].

Occasionally, there can be times of spiritual warfare where fear and anxiety can plague a believer; keeping the enemy at bay often requires persistence and a commitment to having the mind of Christ. I remember in one particular season, the battle was even more difficult because I could not always stop in the middle of what I was doing to pray, discern, and address every fear and shift my thought life. One night, I went to bed physically exhausted—both from a long day of work and the nagging grip of anxiety that had plagued me all day. Yet in my exhaustion, I found myself wielding a powerful weapon against that anxiety—the Name of the Lord.

As I lay in bed, one fear after another was thrown at me. As each matter came up, I found myself spontaneously answering with one of the names of the Lord; this wasn’t premeditated or intentional on my part but inspired by the Spirit. If finances were a concern, then YHVH Jireh would provide. For every part of my body that was hurting and tempting me to fear sickness and disease, YHVH Rapha had the power to heal it. For every situation that seemed difficult to navigate, YHVH Ori would light my path and YHVH Rohi would shepherd and guide my every step. And even though I didn’t know how long this season of warfare would last against fear and anxiety, it truly didn’t matter; the battle had already been won by YHVH Tzva’ot, the Lord of Hosts. 

As each name came to mind, I could see each matter bowing to the sovereignty of my God! I wasn’t singing or shouting or rebuking the enemy, but simply delighting in the powerful names of my God. I had confidence that His power completely trumped the enemy’s power. And my soul was filled with joy to see, in a new way, how God completely covered every need I had. Ultimately, it was YHVH Shalom that lulled me into a place of deep peace and rest; I had run to Him and was safe from all evil.

Truly, this is the reason why we call upon the name of the Lord. By coming into agreement with who YHVH is, we resist agreeing with the voice of fear and handing our power and authority over to the enemy. Our focus shifts to Him who is seated upon the throne that is above every throne. We are praising and boasting in our God, and choosing to name Him as the answer to every problem. And truly He is the answer to our every problem. Our God is just that big!

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