“Who is God to you?”
“What is the first picture that hits your head?”
“Is it of a man with a hallow?”
Or… “Do you picture a king on the throne?”
“What come into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us,”—wrote A. W. Tozer in hisbook ‘The Pursuit of God’. The self-taught theologian reminds us that our view of God is pivotal to our character—how we see God directly influences how we live. Unfortunately, for the longest time, a lot of Christians, both young and old, including myself, struggled with an ill-painted self-portrait because we had a distorted image of who our God is. For the next couple of weeks, we are going to go on journey of discovery, learning and unlearning how to see God, and ourselves through the clearest lens—The Word of God.
Timothy Keller once quoted, “You don’t fully know yourself unless you know yourself in relationship to God. Why? If you are made in God’s image, then you are unable to fully know who you are unless you know God.”
I want to re-introduce God—the God of the Bible. Maybe it is the first time you are meeting Him or you might think you know Him but you don’t—either case, I would like to shedsome light on who our God is.
Let’s start with “Adonai”—the Hebrew word translated as “Lord of Lord”, or “Master” from its derivation ‘sovereignty’. It also shouts the omnipotence of God—the fact that He is the absolute ruler. He is our Master—the Lord of all the big and small things of our lives. He is present everywhere and every time. Three syllables that echo power, love and victory.
Adonai is the verbal parallel to “Yahweh” or “Jehovah”—translated as “The Existing One” or “Lord”. The chief meaning of “Jehovah” is derived from the Hebrew word “Hava” which means ‘to be’ or ‘to exist’. It denotes a God who reveals Himself unceasingly. We have seen this title used as a prefix across the Scripture.
“Jehovah Jireh” is the most familiar of the lot. It means, “Lord, my Provider”. A human’s biggest fear is the ‘fear of lack’. They toil hard so there is no lack, they save up, they live restricted—all this and more, to prevent “lack”. The best passage to read to rid this fear is Psalm 23. The passage begins with the verse, “The Lord is my shepherd; I lack nothing,”—reassuring, isn’t it? He will provide for you today and He is faithful to do it again tomorrow. Drawing parallels to this title is “Jehovah Raah”—Lord, my Shepherd. This title predominantly points to the guiding and protective character of God. Just like a shepherd for his sheep, God takes care of our every need, both big and small; He feeds us, makes sure that we are protected from predators and He nourishes us to health when we are sick.
Taking off from the tangent of healing, our God is “Jehovah Rapha”—Lord, my Healer. What might be an ailment that the doctors have written off, is not an impossibility in the eyes of God. He restores—leaving us better than what we were before. He nourishes us, provides strength to our bones and sustains our good health.
The next one is “Jehovah Nissi”—Lord, my banner! In some translations, it is ‘the Lord, my miracle.’ During a battle, the nations involved raise their flags at the frontlines. This was done to give soldiers a feeling of hope, and a focal point. This is what God is to us—a banner of encouragement to give us hope, and be our focal point.
“Jehovah Shammah”—The Lord is There. The name indicates that the Lord has not abandoned Jerusalem, leaving it in ruins. This is one of the greatest attributes of God—being there for His people no matter what. The men of the world may let us down, but God will not—rain or shine, He is always by our side. He neither sleeps nor slumbers—call out to Him in the dead of night, He is right beside you.
He not only stands beside you, but also gives you peace. He is “Jehovah Shalom”—the Lord is Peace. You may be the strongest person, but a lack of peace can tear down the biggest of giants. There are thousands of therapies and meditation techniques that promise peace; interestingly, a lot of people pay big money to acquire peace. But the peace of this world is nothing compared to the peace that the Lord gives us—it surpasses all understanding.
Do you sometimes feel unclean to go before the Lord? Don’t fret, for He is “Jehovah Mekoddishkem”—The Lord Who sanctifies you. It is difficult living in this filthy world and we do need regular cleansing and conditioning in our lives. While most us focus on cleaning on the outside, there is scant regard to our spirit—we end up being clean desk with cluttered drawers. Ask God to purify you today—it is key in our journey of righteousness. Which brings us to “Jehovah Tsidkenu”—The Lord, our Righteousness. “The state of being without the guilt of sin”, that is what righteousness is defined as by several theologians. We are righteous before God because Jesus laid down His life for us. That is not permission for us to do as we please, but in humble submission walk in the way of the Lord.
Last, but not least, in the ‘Jehovah’ series is “Jehovah Sabaoth”—The Lord of Hosts. Often tagged as the ‘military name’ of God, the word ‘hosts’ comes from a Hebrew word which means ‘to wage war’. Our Lord is the commander of the hosts—angels which surround His throne, the angels He sends to protect His servants, and natural forces of thunder, rain and hail. He rules over everything and He is in control—both, of earthly and heavenly things. His resources are limitless. The moment we understand the depth of this name, we fear nothing for we know that the Lord is in control even when things get uncontrollable.
Let me tell you a big secret about how I truly got to know this God for myself. It was through struggles and challenges of life. Life isn’t a bed of roses, is it? —there are thorny trials and tribulations. You might ask, “how can I experience a good God when things aren’t so good for me?”
Peter 5: 10 says,
And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
Well, suffering is inevitable. You will suffer a little while and then the God of all grace will restore you. Hold onto that. And do not be afraid of life’s trials; let it not steal your joy, even for a moment. Remember that you are the child of a big God—that is your identity. God’s image—made by God, for His glory. So, know God and then you’d get to know yourself.