“Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Matthew 9:38)
Praying the names of God—
It always honors God when our prayers begin with worship, focusing our attention on Him rather than on our needs and requests. Jesus taught us that we should come to our Father to “hallow His name” before we ask for our daily needs to be met (Matthew 6:9-11).
To hallow God’s name is to take the time to understand what it represents of His divine nature and character, of how He is able and willing to work in our lives. When we are interceding, we have a specific need—and calling on Him by one of His revealed names is saying to Him, this is who I need You to be in answer to my prayer. When in turmoil, we need Him to be our Prince of Peace. Seeking guidance, we come to our Shepherd to lead us. In financial stress, we call out to our Provider. For the lost, we cry to the Lord of the harvest.
Jesus said—commanded, according to the tense of the verb—that we should pray for the Lord of the Harvest to send workers into His harvest field (Matthew 9:38). We know that as intercessors, we’re an important part of those workers (1 Timothy 2:1-4). Our prayers pave the way for our Father to draw them (John 6:44), to enable them to come (John 6:65) and to send His Holy Spirit to grant them rebirth (John 3:3, 5). Our prayers help open the door for divine appointments for the workers He sends into the field.
The Lord of the harvest will send someone into the life of a friend or loved one to plant a seed, a grain of truth in his heart, and He will prevent Satan from snatching away that truth (Matthew 13:19). When we come to the Lord of the harvest, we are acknowledging His authority, His control—it is His field, His harvest, His initiative that sends the workers and prepares the hearts of the lost. The Lord of the harvest will make sure the seed is nurtured, fed and watered, able to grow until it’s ripe and ready. The Lord of the harvest will send someone at precisely the right moment to gather that soul into the kingdom. Using His name, Lord of the harvest, reveals that we understand these things and that we have the faith to believe and to anticipate the harvest, no matter how long it takes.
Our help is in the name of the Lord...” (Psalm 124:8)
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Monday, July 22, 2013
Jesus…Jehovah…I Am Who I Am
God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.” (Exodus 3:14, NIV)
“I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:58, NIV)
Jesus, the name above all names, is Jehovah incarnate.
Before He was born, an angel told Joseph to name Him Jesus (Matthew 1:21), the name the Apostle Paul tells us is “above every other name.” (Philippians 2:9)
Jesus’ name itself proclaims who and what He is—“Jehovah, our Salvation” (Herbert Lockyear, All the Divine Names and Titles in the Bible). The first syllable “Je” represents “Jeho” or Jah”—short for “Jehovah.” The other syllable “sus” literally means “help.”
Jesus is the Greek form of the name Joshua, which is a contraction of Jehoshua—meaning Jehovah our Savior. Of all God’s names, Jehovah represents our ever-revealing God, who revealed Himself to His people many times in many ways. There are many compound variations for His name Jehovah that indicate the ways in which He helped His people in the Old Testament, and the ways in which He will relate to us today. He is Jehovah: our Peace (Judges 6:24), our Provider (Genesis 22:14), our Shepherd (Psalm 23:1), and more.
God’s greatest revelation of Himself is through His incarnate Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. He is Jehovah of the Old Testament (wherever we see “LORD”) and Jesus (Jehovah our Savior) of the New.
When God revealed Himself to Moses in the burning bush (Exodus 3:14), He identified Himself as Jehovah, “I Am that I Am,” a statement of His self-existence. He is beyond time; at every moment of our lives, He is present—always “I Am,” never “I Was” or “I Will Be.” Jesus identified Himself as the timeless “I am” when He said, “before Abraham was born, I am.”
There are many “I Am” names of Jesus—including the bread of life (John 6:35); the light of the world (John 9:5); the gate through which we are saved (John 10:9); the good shepherd (John 10:11); the resurrection and the life (John 11:35); the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6); the true vine (John 15:1); the Alpha and Omega (Revelation 1:18); the First and the Last (Revelation 1:17; 22:13); the Living One (Revelation 1:18); the bright Morning Star (Revelation 22:16).
Every title, every name of God, every attribute is revealed in Scripture to help us understand who God is and who He desires to be in our lives. We trust in His names because they reveal and represent Him—and He is trustworthy.
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. (Psalm 20:7, NIV)
“I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:58, NIV)
Jesus, the name above all names, is Jehovah incarnate.
Before He was born, an angel told Joseph to name Him Jesus (Matthew 1:21), the name the Apostle Paul tells us is “above every other name.” (Philippians 2:9)
Jesus’ name itself proclaims who and what He is—“Jehovah, our Salvation” (Herbert Lockyear, All the Divine Names and Titles in the Bible). The first syllable “Je” represents “Jeho” or Jah”—short for “Jehovah.” The other syllable “sus” literally means “help.”
Jesus is the Greek form of the name Joshua, which is a contraction of Jehoshua—meaning Jehovah our Savior. Of all God’s names, Jehovah represents our ever-revealing God, who revealed Himself to His people many times in many ways. There are many compound variations for His name Jehovah that indicate the ways in which He helped His people in the Old Testament, and the ways in which He will relate to us today. He is Jehovah: our Peace (Judges 6:24), our Provider (Genesis 22:14), our Shepherd (Psalm 23:1), and more.
God’s greatest revelation of Himself is through His incarnate Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. He is Jehovah of the Old Testament (wherever we see “LORD”) and Jesus (Jehovah our Savior) of the New.
When God revealed Himself to Moses in the burning bush (Exodus 3:14), He identified Himself as Jehovah, “I Am that I Am,” a statement of His self-existence. He is beyond time; at every moment of our lives, He is present—always “I Am,” never “I Was” or “I Will Be.” Jesus identified Himself as the timeless “I am” when He said, “before Abraham was born, I am.”
There are many “I Am” names of Jesus—including the bread of life (John 6:35); the light of the world (John 9:5); the gate through which we are saved (John 10:9); the good shepherd (John 10:11); the resurrection and the life (John 11:35); the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6); the true vine (John 15:1); the Alpha and Omega (Revelation 1:18); the First and the Last (Revelation 1:17; 22:13); the Living One (Revelation 1:18); the bright Morning Star (Revelation 22:16).
Every title, every name of God, every attribute is revealed in Scripture to help us understand who God is and who He desires to be in our lives. We trust in His names because they reveal and represent Him—and He is trustworthy.
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. (Psalm 20:7, NIV)
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Jehovah, I Am Who I Am
God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.” (Exodus 3:14, NIV)
Some of the names of God are His more formal majestic names or titles, such as the title Elohim [el-o-HEEM], our Creator; Adonai [add-eh-NYE], our Lord and Master; or ElElyon [el-EL-yawn], our Most High God. But His most personal name is Jehovah, “I Am Who I Am,” our ever-revealing God Who reveals Himself to His people.
Jehovah is considered God’s covenant name, His relational name, the foundation for His covenant relationship with His people. It’s a name with many variations, each indicating a different relationship He is willing to have with us.
When Moses met God in the burning bush (Exodus 3:14), God said to tell the people that He was sending Moses to lead them, and He identified Himself as Jehovah, “I Am that I Am.” It’s a statement of His self-existence. He is beyond time, so at every moment of our lives, He is present—always “I Am,” never “I Was” or “I Will Be.” He was sufficient then to part the Red Sea, as He sufficient today to meet our every need.
In the Bible every time we see the word “LORD”—written in all capital letters—it is translated “Jehovah.” Jehovah appears many times alone, and often compounded with other Hebrew terms, each identifying a different part of God’s nature and character, each representing a side of God’s character that He is willing to reveal to us—Jehovah-Jireh [JIE-reh], our Provider; Jehovah-Rophe [RAH-fah], our Healer; Jehovah-Shalom [sha-LOAM], our Peace;
and more.
God’s names not only reveal part of His nature, but through them He is revealing who He is willing to be in our lives. When we are in need, it is comforting to worship God as Our Provider. When we’re under stress, we praise our Prince of Peace. As we pray for those who are lost, we first magnify our Redeemer, our Savior, the Lamb of God.
We may certainly always address God simply as God, or Father—Jesus taught us to come to our Father. But Jesus also said we should pause before asking for our needs to be met to “hallow His name,” to worship Him. Our daily prayers should include at least a few moments of reflection on who God is and an expression of our love, adoration, thanksgiving, and worship.
Some of the names of God are His more formal majestic names or titles, such as the title Elohim [el-o-HEEM], our Creator; Adonai [add-eh-NYE], our Lord and Master; or ElElyon [el-EL-yawn], our Most High God. But His most personal name is Jehovah, “I Am Who I Am,” our ever-revealing God Who reveals Himself to His people.
Jehovah is considered God’s covenant name, His relational name, the foundation for His covenant relationship with His people. It’s a name with many variations, each indicating a different relationship He is willing to have with us.
When Moses met God in the burning bush (Exodus 3:14), God said to tell the people that He was sending Moses to lead them, and He identified Himself as Jehovah, “I Am that I Am.” It’s a statement of His self-existence. He is beyond time, so at every moment of our lives, He is present—always “I Am,” never “I Was” or “I Will Be.” He was sufficient then to part the Red Sea, as He sufficient today to meet our every need.
In the Bible every time we see the word “LORD”—written in all capital letters—it is translated “Jehovah.” Jehovah appears many times alone, and often compounded with other Hebrew terms, each identifying a different part of God’s nature and character, each representing a side of God’s character that He is willing to reveal to us—Jehovah-Jireh [JIE-reh], our Provider; Jehovah-Rophe [RAH-fah], our Healer; Jehovah-Shalom [sha-LOAM], our Peace;
and more.
God’s names not only reveal part of His nature, but through them He is revealing who He is willing to be in our lives. When we are in need, it is comforting to worship God as Our Provider. When we’re under stress, we praise our Prince of Peace. As we pray for those who are lost, we first magnify our Redeemer, our Savior, the Lamb of God.
We may certainly always address God simply as God, or Father—Jesus taught us to come to our Father. But Jesus also said we should pause before asking for our needs to be met to “hallow His name,” to worship Him. Our daily prayers should include at least a few moments of reflection on who God is and an expression of our love, adoration, thanksgiving, and worship.
Monday, June 24, 2013
What Names of God Gives You the Most Comfort?
As we consider the majestic names of God, one of the most comforting to us is El Elyon, the Most High God.
El Elyon is described in a way that brings great comfort in Psalm 91: "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.’" [Psalm 91:1-2]
It's a psalm of great encouragement for those who are in a loving relationship with the Lord: "‘Because he loves me,’ says the Lord, ‘I will rescue him; I will protect him for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.’" [Psalm 91:14-16].
Sounds like relationship to us: he who loves the Lord, who acknowledges His name, understanding Who He is and what He can do, calls out and is answered.
That describes a prayer life that's rooted and grounded in love -- and results in the Lord sheltering, rescuing, protecting and delivering. It's our relationship with the Lord that brings such results in our prayer lives. It's in knowing Him and loving Him that we can come to Him as our shelter, our God in Whom we trust. The more we know and love Him, the more faith we have, the more we pray, the more answers we see.
Pray with us — El Elyon, we acknowledge that You are our Most High God, our refuge and our fortress. Help us to know You and to love You, in Jesus' name.
Amen.
El Elyon is described in a way that brings great comfort in Psalm 91: "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.’" [Psalm 91:1-2]
It's a psalm of great encouragement for those who are in a loving relationship with the Lord: "‘Because he loves me,’ says the Lord, ‘I will rescue him; I will protect him for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.’" [Psalm 91:14-16].
Sounds like relationship to us: he who loves the Lord, who acknowledges His name, understanding Who He is and what He can do, calls out and is answered.
That describes a prayer life that's rooted and grounded in love -- and results in the Lord sheltering, rescuing, protecting and delivering. It's our relationship with the Lord that brings such results in our prayer lives. It's in knowing Him and loving Him that we can come to Him as our shelter, our God in Whom we trust. The more we know and love Him, the more faith we have, the more we pray, the more answers we see.
Pray with us — El Elyon, we acknowledge that You are our Most High God, our refuge and our fortress. Help us to know You and to love You, in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
God is good. All the time.
All the time. God is good.
"When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, ‘I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless.’” (Genesis 17:1, NIV)
The LORDJehovah gave Abram a revelation of Himself when He introduced Himself with the title, God Almighty, El Shaddai [EL-SHA-DYE]. This is a wonderfully encouraging picture of God for us today because El Shaddai reveals both the all-powerful and most-tender sides of His nature.
El in Hebrew is the shortened form of Elohim, our Creator God, and Shaddai is Hebrew for Almighty.
El Shaddai is our all-powerful God who can create something from nothing, who can bring to life that which has no breath; nothing is too difficult for Him. But to understand the full significance of God’s character as revealed in this title, it’s to helpful understand that there is a word play between shaddai and shad, which means breast—different Hebrew words that sound alike. This indicates a quality of tenderness in God Almighty, like a mother feeding a baby. El Shaddai is our God who nourishes us,
sustains us, our all-bountiful God who has an endless supply of whatever we need at the most personal
level.
For this reason, El Shaddai could be translated as our all-powerful Nourisher or Sustainer, our
all-sufficient God, or—our personal favorite (from T.W. Hunt in Disciple’s Prayer Life)—the Out-Pourer of
Blessings. He is All-Powerful and He has unlimited resources to meet our needs and bring His blessing into
our lives.
"When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, ‘I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless.’” (Genesis 17:1, NIV)
The LORDJehovah gave Abram a revelation of Himself when He introduced Himself with the title, God Almighty, El Shaddai [EL-SHA-DYE]. This is a wonderfully encouraging picture of God for us today because El Shaddai reveals both the all-powerful and most-tender sides of His nature.
El in Hebrew is the shortened form of Elohim, our Creator God, and Shaddai is Hebrew for Almighty.
El Shaddai is our all-powerful God who can create something from nothing, who can bring to life that which has no breath; nothing is too difficult for Him. But to understand the full significance of God’s character as revealed in this title, it’s to helpful understand that there is a word play between shaddai and shad, which means breast—different Hebrew words that sound alike. This indicates a quality of tenderness in God Almighty, like a mother feeding a baby. El Shaddai is our God who nourishes us,
sustains us, our all-bountiful God who has an endless supply of whatever we need at the most personal
level.
For this reason, El Shaddai could be translated as our all-powerful Nourisher or Sustainer, our
all-sufficient God, or—our personal favorite (from T.W. Hunt in Disciple’s Prayer Life)—the Out-Pourer of
Blessings. He is All-Powerful and He has unlimited resources to meet our needs and bring His blessing into
our lives.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Good day? Bad day? Pray this prayer.
Wednesday is sometimes referred to as "hump day." Middle of the week. Top of the mountain.
We pray that the Holy Spirit inspire the words of Paul to penetrate your heart.
How has your week been going?
Good--or not so good--you can rest in the words of our Lord. Sometimes, the right scripture can speak right to us where we are and inspire us.
We pray that the Holy Spirit inspire the words of Paul to penetrate your heart.
"Father, help us to be strong in You and in Your mighty power..." Ephesians 6:10
Thursday, May 2, 2013
National Prayer Day
Today is National Prayer Day.
In 1952 the United States Congress enacted a day of observance which asked the people to spend time in prayer and meditation. Each year since, the President has signed a proclamation for National Prayer Day.
And while we don't rely on a single day for our prayer needs--we do want to take today to recognize the importance of prayer and be salt and light to those around us.
So join us today and ask the Lord to teach us how to pray.
Pray with us:
Teach us to pray--to know and understand Your many teachings on prayer. Make them a reality in our lives.
We know we are to ask for our daily needs to be met; help us to admit our total dependence upon our Father God, and to live according to the principles from Your Sermon on the Mount--that we might seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness, knowing that when we do, our needs will be met.
Lord, help us to believe that God is our Father Who desires not only to hear us when we ask and seek and knock, but Who will answer our prayers, giving gifts that are more, much more than any human father would give. Help us to be sensitive to His most precious gift of all, Your Holy Spirit who lives within us, Who desires to fill us afresh every day, Who is our Spirit of prayer, and Who helps us in our prayer lives.
Holy One, help us to be sensitive to Your Spirit, Who convicts us of sins that can separate us from Your fellowship if left unconfessed. Help us to pray with humble hearts, in persistence, with boldness.
Guide our prayers and the motives of our hearts, so that we will not ask amiss. And when we grow discouraged, grant us the gift of Your faith, that we may rest in Your peace--for we ask in Your holy, righteous name. Amen.
In 1952 the United States Congress enacted a day of observance which asked the people to spend time in prayer and meditation. Each year since, the President has signed a proclamation for National Prayer Day.
And while we don't rely on a single day for our prayer needs--we do want to take today to recognize the importance of prayer and be salt and light to those around us.
So join us today and ask the Lord to teach us how to pray.
Pray with us:
Teach us to pray--to know and understand Your many teachings on prayer. Make them a reality in our lives.
We know we are to ask for our daily needs to be met; help us to admit our total dependence upon our Father God, and to live according to the principles from Your Sermon on the Mount--that we might seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness, knowing that when we do, our needs will be met.
Lord, help us to believe that God is our Father Who desires not only to hear us when we ask and seek and knock, but Who will answer our prayers, giving gifts that are more, much more than any human father would give. Help us to be sensitive to His most precious gift of all, Your Holy Spirit who lives within us, Who desires to fill us afresh every day, Who is our Spirit of prayer, and Who helps us in our prayer lives.
Holy One, help us to be sensitive to Your Spirit, Who convicts us of sins that can separate us from Your fellowship if left unconfessed. Help us to pray with humble hearts, in persistence, with boldness.
Guide our prayers and the motives of our hearts, so that we will not ask amiss. And when we grow discouraged, grant us the gift of Your faith, that we may rest in Your peace--for we ask in Your holy, righteous name. Amen.
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