Call My Name

Psalm 54: 1 – 2        TPT

God, deliver me by your mighty name! Come with your glorious power and save me! Listen to my prayer; turn your ears to my cry!

David was on the run from Saul, hiding in the desert and among the towns. The people of Ziph betrayed him to Saul so David turned to God to save him. We know God responded because David died an old man in his palace. That is the first good news we take from this psalm. When we call out to the Father, He hears and rescues us.

David’s prayer is interesting though, and perhaps insightful. He did not pray for God to rescue him with His mighty hand, nor by the might of His arm, for that matter. He essentially says, “Send your mighty name to deliver me.” That is a thought provoking request. This is not an isolated request though. There are many times in the Bible where one called on “the name” of God to do something for them.

The name of God has power in itself. “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous runs into it and is safe,” (Proverbs 18:10). Isaiah wrote, “Let him trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God,” (Isaiah 50: 10). Everything about God is imbued with power. If a hair fell from His head, it would be like a power infused sword. And speaking of swords, His name, like His Word can be in our mouths and we have already learned that His Word is a powerful sword (Ephesians 6: 17). In the same way, with the same faith that you speak His Word, you can speak His name. It can soothe your worries or defeat your foes. It has peace and fire in it.

There are situations which challenge us to the very core. Sometimes it is even difficult to find the words to pray. If you saw the original Mary Poppins movie, you know she has a word for when you don’t know what to say. Hers was supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Yours is Jesus or Yahweh. Maybe you like Jesus’ Hebrew name, Yeshua. Whichever name resonates in your heart most vibrantly, speak it out in your time of need. I think you will find it gives you strength.

Seek and Find

Psalm 9: 10

And those who know Thy name will put their trust in Thee; for Thou, O Lord, hast not forsaken those who seek Thee.

Here is some good news for the middle of the week. God has not and never will forsake those who seek Him.

I am not going to write today about “the name” of God but there is a huge message there. I will just say that learning God’s name and learning about the names He used in the Old Testament to present Himself will most definitely increase one’s assurance that God is for them. It stimulates trust which yields rest.

Honestly, seeking God is the answer to every problem you will ever face. Christian counseling would be really easy if the counselors could just get people to hear that advice and follow through on it. Every answer for every problem is in God so all we have to do is seek Him out and ask the question.  

And here is the promise from God to you today; if you seek Him you will never be forsaken. Those who seek will find. God hides in plain sight hoping that you will come looking for Him. I have likened it before to playing hide and seek with a small child. When my nephew was young I started out hiding too well. I learned that I had to hide in plain sight. It is amazing to think of now but he was overjoyed when he found me. How much greater is our joy when we “find” God? He’s not really hiding, you know? He has positioned Himself where you can find Him. You just have to lift your head and look and sure enough, there He is. I promise, when you seek you will find.

The rewards of seeking God’s face are boundless. I may speak in terms of His solving problems but that is very much the least of the benefit. Unfortunately, words fail me when I try to convey how much better and how much easier all of life is when you abide in the presence of God. It is relief, joy, hope, success, enlightenment, and on. Whatever your heart needs, whatever you are seeking in your life, they are all found in the presence of God. 

What could I offer you that would stimulate you to seek God like you never have before? How can I encourage you to pursue Him with renewed vigor? Would a million dollars do it? How about the promise of peace? The truth is that anything that would motivate you is already in the Father. Pursue Him relentlessly. Pursue Him like you pursued your spouse. And be willing to surrender the control of the reins to Him. If you will do this you will never even think again about being forsaken. You will know how precious you are to God and He will become your closest friend. That is heady stuff but it is true. The God that created the entire universe in all of its wonder and complexity wants nothing more than to be your friend. I told you that you were special.

Trust in the Name

Psalm 9: 10             NIV

For those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.

Well, there are two pretty loud messages in this one short passage. The first one is about knowing the name of God and the confidence that builds in the hearts of His people. There are several aspects to this first idea. You know by now that “God” is not our father’s name. It is only a title. When you know His real name then naturally your relationship grows with Him as you use that name instead of the antiseptic title which has no familiarity attached to it nor any personal attachment to Him. People throughout the ages have called every kind of thing “God”.

There is some confusion regarding the accurate name of God but don’t get hung up on that. The name was hidden for eons and there are language issues but that is just puff and stuff. You can ask Father what name He wants you to use in your private discussions. I use the name Yahweh and I am quite comfortable with it though you may learn that YHWH (without the vowels) is certainly accurate if not more so. Some people use the name Jehovah and that works too. They are all derivatives of one another. We do not want to get caught up in Semantics although the study of all of these ancient words is awesome. I go back to Exodus where Moses asked the Lord who he should say sent him and the Almighty said, “I AM WHO I AM”; “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, “I AM has sent me to you” (Exodus 3: 14). The Lord’s declaration of I AM is where the name of Yahweh comes from. It is that idea of He who is, who was, and who always will be. So that is the first name I use for our Father and using it instead of a title brings me into closer unity with Him.

Secondly, we know that beyond his personal name, the Lord had many descriptive names that He shared with the Israelites. I cannot go over all of them in this format but there are several books that list and describe the many descriptive names of God. I personally enjoyed Marilyn Hickey’s book on the names but there are plenty out there to choose from. One such name is Jehovah –Jireh which means “Our Provider”. Each of these descriptive names of God provides a greater insight into who He is and His relational positioning with us. Therefore, each one brings greater confidence and comfort to our hearts.

Lastly, He, our God and Father, has never forsaken any who have sought Him. I can testify loudly to this. When I sought Him, He reached out to me and took hold of me. When you seek Him, you find Him. I flew out to California and in typical lawyer fashion I put Him on notice that I was going to that conference to get Him. He must have laughed out loud but I was serious. I earnestly sought Him and my life has never been the same.