A Prayer For You

Today as we closed our time together, I prayed a prayer for all of us - I’ve included it below. What a blessing to study with everyone. If you have time, include in the comments what God is teaching you and maybe a favorite name. God bless you.

Elohim, I KNOW you can create something out of nothing, will you create something out of any nothing areas - impossible situations - in my life..
El Elyon, I KNOW you are in control, sovereign, and I give you my circumstances today.
Adonai, I KNOW you are my Lord and Master, I choose to follow you instead of the ways of the world.
El Shaddai, I KNOW you are God Almighty, and I trust that you are sufficient for my deepest needs today.
Yahweh Jireh, I KNOW you are my provider, and will supply everything I need today.
El Roi, I KNOW you are the God who sees, and that I am never alone, and nothing in my life goes unnoticed, for you know it all and see it all.
Yahweh, I KNOW you are the one and only, self-existent, eternal, covenant-keeping God and that you will always love me.
Yahweh Rophe, I KNOW you are my healer and I come to you now with ever area of me that needs healing today.
Yahweh Nissi, I KNOW you are my banner, and the victory in every situation that threatens me today.
Yahweh Mekaddesh, I KNOW you are my sanctifier, making me holy, doing for me what I can never do for myself.
Yahweh Shalom, I KNOW you are my peace, and bring calm in every storm I face in life.
Yahweh Sabaoth, I KNOW you are the LORD of hosts, and bring deliverance as you defeat my enemies.
Yahweh Ro’i, I KNOW you are my shepherd, and intimately care for me even if no one else does.
Abba, Father, I KNOW you are my Father and that I can run to you and rest in the security of your everlasting arms.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The Comfort Of His Names

What a journey we have had into the great and glorious names of God. This week thinking deeply about Yahweh Shalom (He is my peace), Yahweh Sabaoth (He is my deliverer), Yahweh Ro’i (He is my shepherd), and Abba, Father (He is my Father) brought great comfort to my heart. The more I read, the more I sensed a new nearness and love from my Lord. At times in our lives, we can feel as though we are “out in the cold” so to speak, suffering from the weight of a bitter suffering. But drawing near to His names, knowing our Lord as He really is, brings a blessed warmth to our hearts. That is what this week meant to me. As the psalmist has said, “But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the LORD GOD my refuge, that I may tell of all Your works” (Psalm 73:28). And then, my hearts desire is reflected in Psalm 84:10 “For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.”

What has meant the most to you in this 30 day journey on the names of God? And did you have a favorite name? Share below in the comments.

Week 4 God Is Personal

I can hardly believe that we are on Week 4. Only one week left. What a journey it has been - contemplating our God who is incomprehensible and unfathomable. I want to say thank you for going on this journey. It has been a joy to travel with you. I have learned so much and I truly needed this journey myself.

I think what is so powerful for me these days is realizing and experiencing in a new way the personal-ness (not a real word - this is a cath word:)) of God. Every name seems to emphasize how personal God is. It almost seems through each name that God is, over and over, wanting me to understand that He loves me, He cares for me, and He wants me to draw near to Him, trust Him, and stay close to Him. I saw it especially in El Roi this week. There was Hagar, alone in the wilderness, and God revealed Himself as El Roi, the God who sees. And when He sees, He cares, and He delivers. I’ve surely had my wilderness times and God has met me there. I am reminded of Hosea 2:14 where God is speaking and says “I will lead her into the desert, and there I will speak to her heart.”

As we live in a world that is becoming more and more impersonal, we can be encouraged that the great and mighty God is also near and personal. He loves us and is filled with grace and mercy, constantly reaching out and initiating in our relationship with Him. Today, I take comfort in that and say, along with the psalmist, “I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. Let my meditation be pleasing to Him; As for me, I shall be glad in the LORD” (Psam 104:33-34).

What has meant the most to you so far on this 30 day journey?

Week 3 A Favorite Name

Hi Everyone, I trust that the Lord is working in a powerful way as you take this 30 day journey. It’s hard to believe we only have 2 weeks to go. Today as I write I’m thinking through the names of God we have looked at in Week 3. My favorite name right now is Elohim. I love the fact that God creates something out of nothing. You’ve heard the story about the scientist who said that he didn’t feel like he needed God anymore. So God said, “Okay, let’s have a man-making contest.” The scientist said, “No problem.” Then in this story (totally made up I might add), God supposedly told the scientist that they were going to do it the old fashioned way. Again, the scientist said, “No problem”. Then he reached down to take a handful of dirt. Then God told him - no, you’re going to have to make your own dirt. Only God can create something out of nothing. He is Creator. I am encouraged to run to Elohim when my life’s challenges seem to have no human answer. Even though things can seem too much for me, nothing is impossible with God. Knowing Elohim inspires a huge trust in me today.

What about you? What’s your favorite name so far? And is there a favorite quote from the book or Bible verse that meant a lot to you this week?

See you tomorrow in class!!:):)

Week 2 The Art Of Walking Slow

I am loving these days of reading through and thinking about the names of God and knowing God more. I especially loved Day 8. Some of my favorite parts of this day:

I loved the translation of James 4:8 at the very beginning: “Come to meet God, and he will come and stay close to you.” What an invitation from the Lord to know Him.

I loved Howard Vos’ words: “When it comes to Scripture, one must stop just casually looking and must start to see. True sight or perception will sometimes involve the use of a pencil and even some tabulation.” I have found this to be true. When I am reading the Bible, I always have a pencil in my hand. We don’t want to just merely look - we want to SEE!! And oh, how exciting it is when God opens our eyes to His truth. It makes me think of the prayer in Psalm 119:18 “Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Your law.”

Frederick Faber’s words encourage us: “Within a thought so great, our souls little and modest grow, and, by its vastness awed, we learn the art of walking slow.” I need to learn more this incredible art of “walking slow.”

I want to do what Tozer speaks of - I want to “drink deeply at the fountain of living water, delight in His presence, and experience the inner sweetness of the very God Himself in the core and center” of my heart. I loved reading those words this week and they express better than I ever could my own great desire for God.

God bless you as you read through and think through Week 2 of Trusting In The Names of God.

What stands out to you in Week 2 - did you have a favorite verse, insight, or illustration from your reading, thinking, and studying this week? Feel free to share your thoughts in the Comments section here. Just click on “Comments” or “Leave A Comment” and share. Then click on “Submit Comment”.

From My Message “The Key That Unlocks The Door”

Yesterday we shared together about Week 1 in Trusting In The Names Of God. And I shared a message about “The Key That Unlocks The Door”. In that message we learned that the key unlocking the door to knowing and understanding God is the names of God. I loved having the opportunity to share more about the names of God. Almost always, when I am sharing a message, the Lord seems to emphasize one thing out of that message for me in my own life. Yesterday, as I was talking, the part that meant the most to me was when I said this: In fact, when you stand face to face with your Lord having stepped from time into eternity, you want to know that you KNEW HIM - that you did not waste a bit of His revelation of Himself to you, but instead that you explored Who He was, What He Does, and what He says through an intimate knowledge of His names - you might think of it as being on a first name basis with God. When I shared this with all of you, I was thinking “Oh Lord, that’s how I feel. No time wasted. No opportunity in your Word squandered. Lord, I want to KNOW YOU!!” It must be how Moses felt when he was with God and cried out “Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight…Please, show me Your glory” (Exodus 33:13, 18). And of course, the Lord did let the shades come down a bit and revealed His glory to Moses. May our prayer together be “Lord, show us your glory!”

Week 1 What Is God Teaching You

Reading about the great adventure of knowing God was such an encouragement for me this week. There were many quotes that meant so much to me, but my favorites were:

“Knowing God will alter the course of your life. Knowing God will change how you live, influence the decisions you make, and shape your responses to trials and adverse circumstances.” p. 16 My Response: This quote motivated me this week to commit my heart anew to the pursuit of God. My life can’t help but change as I go deeper in drawing near to God and knowing Him more.

“I have learned not to define how God can and should work in my life.” p. 25  My Response: This is always a challenge because I have my own ideas of how things should be sometimes and knowing God requires a surrender of my small-sized dreams to God-sized plans and purposes.

“When you trust God in the storms of life, your history with God becomes a platform on which you can stand in future difficulties. These experiences help you remember your God and what He can and will do for you.” p. 46  My Response: This was an encouraging reminder to me to stand strong now and remember all that God has done through “many dangers, toils, and snares” as the hymnwriter has written in “Amazing Grace”.

“You may be approaching your finest hour, where you will discover God’s names, draw near to His names, declare His names, depend on His names, and delight in His names. Others may say it is over for you, but God never says such words. He is waiting for you to draw near and know Him as you have never known Him before and then to trust Him as you have never trusted before.” p. 52 My Response: Oh these words were just so encouraging this week!! All I can say is may God get the great glory in our lives as we draw near and know and trust Him.

And so, in this first week of study, what stood out to you and what is God teaching you? What was the greatest encouragement to you as you read and thought and studied? To share, simply click on the “Comments” or “Leave a Comment” words above and below this post.

Welcome To Trusting In The Names Of God

 

Welcome to Trusting In The Names Of God. I’m so excited to take this 30 day journey with you. This first week we will be reading the Introduction and Week 1. And then we’ll share together On Location at Southwest Community Church next Thursday, May 7. As we begin, let’s pray for one another that the Lord will transform our lives - that we will never be the same as a result of this journey together. I thought maybe as we start our study we could perhaps share ways in our own lives where we find it difficult to trust - ways we need to trust God more.

For me, I need to trust God with my family and with worry and even fear sometimes. I don’t know about you but I seem to collect all my worries and then pull them out at times, one by one. I am learning to trust instead of worry. But for these next 30 days I’d like to move to a new and deeper trust in God. 

What about you? To share your thoughts, comments, questions, insights etc. just click on the Leave A Comment words at the top of this post.

I look forward to sharing together over these next 30 days. God bless you as you continue on in the great adventure of knowing Him.

In His Love, Catherine