Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God

30 January 2024

“Moses said to God, ‘Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?’

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.’

God also said to Moses, ‘Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’

‘This is my name forever,
    the name you shall call me
    from generation to generation.’”

–Exodus 3:13-15

     In this powerful passage, the Lord God reveals His personal Name to Moses, “I AM.”  In Hebrew, this Name is YHWH.  Over time, vowels were inserted making His Name, Yahweh.  The Name of God has such incredible power and ancient Jews had such deep respect for Him, that they began using “Adonai” which means “Lord” instead.  This is not something that God told them to do.  Rather, He welcomed them to call upon His Name in praise and in need.[1]  A remarkable observation is that “Yah” sounds like an inhale of breath and “weh” sounds like an exhale.  Thus, the Name “Yahweh” reminds us of the breath of life the Father breathed into Adam[2] and the new life that the Son breathes into us by the indwelling of His Holy Spirit when we are born again.[3] I give thanks to God that He has given me the very breath in my lungs.

     When a person calls upon the Name of the Lord for whatever they need, He promises to meet them right where they’re at.[4]  “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”[5]  This truth is echoed throughout Scripture.  In the ancient world, a name symbolized who the person was.  Therefore, when I call upon the Name of Yahweh, I am reaching out in faith and embracing God in the belief that He is who He says He is and that He will do what He says He will do.[6]  When I call upon the Name of Yahweh or any of the Names He has revealed in Scripture, I am assured that He hears me and will answer me.[7]  Sometimes the answer is yes, sometimes not yet, and sometimes the answer is no.  Whatever the case may be, I know without a doubt that He will do and be everything I’ve ever needed and will ever need.[8]  God brings true, deep satisfaction to my life.

     Countless suffering people all over the world need the help that God freely gives as a loving Father, but they do not truly seek Him.  Perhaps they wear a cross as a good luck charm, say a half-hearted prayer occasionally, or profess a superficial belief in Him as one might regard a well-respected historical figure or a nice idea or fable like Santa Claus.  This does not constitute actually seeking God or His will for my life.  The Bible says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”  I believe that Yahweh is the Living God who is all-powerful, all-knowing and our ever-present help in time of need.[9]  I know that He has the power to intervene in the lives of human beings and that He does so when they reach out to Him in true faith.  Call upon His Name today and then be faithful to sincerely listen and diligently search for His response.  We do this by meditating on His Word the Bible, praying, worshipping, spending time in His Creation, and learning more about Him with other children of God. 

“Yahweh, I call upon Your holy Name because only You can redeem, heal, empower and fill me with hope.  Thank You for all that You are and all that You do for me and for Your family.  I worship You because You’re worthy of all the praise and all the glory.  Help me to honor You in all that I say and think and do.  Show me ways that I can lead others to call upon Your Name.  Amen.”

Then Elijah said to them, “I am the only one of the Lord’s prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets…you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by fire—he is God.

Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. “Baal, answer us!” they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered.

At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”

Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.

When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!”

–Excerpts From I Kings 18

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[1] Acts 2:21, II Chronicles 7:14, II Timothy 2:9

[2] Genesis 2:7

[3] John 20:22-23

[4] John 6:37

[5] Joel 2:32

[6] Lamentations 3:22-23, II Timothy 2:13, Deuteronomy 7:9

[7] Psalm 3:4, Psalm 17:6, Psalm 116:1

[8] Psalm 107:9

[9] Psalm 46:1, I Chronicles 29:11, I John 3:20