GOD’S WORD FOR AUGUST 4 ~ ~ Psalm 9:10 ~ ~

“And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.”

I will be starting a new book, describing the names of God and what they mean. It is written by a very good pastor/teacher, Tony Evans. He has daily teachings on VCY radio and TV, as well as pastoring a large church and heading a seminary.

Each day will be another name of God, and a description of it.

In the Bible “name” is a translation of the Hebrew word SHEM (in the Old Testament) and ONOMA (in the New Testament)

Together, “name” appears more than 1000 times in Scripture and routinely carries with it the idea of power, responsibility, purpose, and authority. A name not only expresses the essence and significance of what is being named but also, when duly authorized, accesses the quality it conveys.

Because of the depth of God’s character, He has various names that reflect the many ways He related to humanity. For example, God is called ELOHIM when revealing Himself as the all-powerful Creator.

He is JEHOVAH NISSI—the Lord’s banner of victory (a name you need to know when seeking victory in your life).

God is also known as JEHOVAH RAPHA, or the Lord your healer.

When you are in need of provision, get to know the name JEHOVAH JIREH—God, the provider.

God has a name for every situation we find ourselves in. We need to learn the names of God because when we know His character and His capacity, we will find rest and discover peace and power in His covenantal care of us.

(which is His caring for us because of His covenant with Israel, of which we are a part if and when we receive Jesus as our personal Savior)

We shouldn’t be surprised that, from Genesis to Revelation, the Bible demonstrates the power of a name. Much of that has to do specifically with God’s names. If I were to write a chapter on each and every name of God that appears in Scripture, the book would be several volumes long.

God reveals many of His names to us so we can gain several different perspectives on who He is. One name by itself can’t fully represent God’s majesty and power. One name alone can’t fully tell us all we need to know about this person we know as God.

In more than four decades of ministry and six decades of life, I’ve become increasingly convinced that God longs for us to know Him more fully. He desires to be known for all of who he truly is.

When we truly know Him, when we understand and experience the depth of His goodness and power, our hearts are open to worshipping Him.

We must humble ourselves if we really want to know Him.

Psalm 8 is a magnificent Psalm, describing the majesty of God and the depth of His names.

“O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth.”

The names of God convey His intrinsic majesty and glory. His name is nothing short of pure majesty! Discovering and experiencing the manifestation of His names in your own life will usher you directly into the presence of our majestic God.

David follows that up with “You have displayed Your splendor above the heavens.”

(Just look at the beauty of nature all around us, and the intricacies of the His system. He made all that by the power of His Words. He says things, and THEY ARE DONE, THEY ARE MADE, THEY COME ABOUT.)

Essentially, when David looked up, he was awed by God’s creation. When he recognized the majesty of God’s name, he forgot about his own. But what strikes me most about this particular verse is that David chose to use the words, “the work of Your fingers.” The use of human anatomy to describe God is called “anthropomorphism”. David ascribes human attributes to God so we can better understand Him. Since God is an invisible Spirit, he sometimes inspired men writing the Bible to describe Him in human terms to give us a better picture of Him. In this case, David wrote that He needed only His fingers to do all the amazing work of the universe!!!!

(Think about that a while!)

In the New Testament, Jesus tells us that God often discloses His awesomeness, excellence, and splendor to those who have childlike hearts. They are the ones given eyes to see His majesty. They are the ones who place their hands over their mouths as their hearts utter a profoundly deep “WOW!” Jesus says, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. (Matthew 11:25)

Also in Psalm 8 we read, “from the mouths of infants and nursing babes You have established strength” (vs 2) Infants and babes represent people who recognize their dependence on God. They are those who are not so impressed by their own wit, wisdom, and wile that they can’t see the wonder of God Himself.

We must humble ourselves if we really want to know Him. We must realize our insignificance before we can recognize the significance that comes only through Him.

We are to hallow His name and His name alone.

You can’t know His name until you forget your own.

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