Days of Praise ~ Yahweh ~ The LORD

Going back to Genesis 15, we recall Adonai Yahweh making a covenant with Abram. He said he would deliver the children of Israel from bondage.  More than four centuries pass before this miraculous deliverance is to occur in Exodus 3. (See the history of Moses' early life in Egypt in Exodus 1 and 2) Moses is shepherding his flock at Mt. Sinai. He sees a bush on fire, but it is not burning up. He walks over to the bush to investigate. The LORD calls out Moses' name twice and tells him not to come any closer and to remove his shoes, because he is standing on holy ground.  The LORD identifies himself to Moses. "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." (Exodus 3:4-6)  Moses covered his face because he was afraid to look at God, for fear of dying. He tells Moses he has seen the oppression and heard the cries of his people. The LORD tells Moses he wants him to go back to Egypt to deliver his people out of bondage to the Egyptians. Moses tells the LORD that he is not worthy of the task. The LORD assures Moses that he will be with him. He gives Moses a sign that he is the one who has sent him. The Israelites will worship the LORD on Mt. Sinai. (Exodus 3:13) But Moses protested, "If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, 'The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,' they will ask me, 'What is his name? Then what should I tell them?" God replied to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you…Yahweh, the God of your ancestors-the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob-has sent me to you! This is my eternal name, my name to remember for all generations."(Exodus 3:14-15 NLT)

Yahweh is Self-Existent

Yahweh, only you are self–existent. No other thing can exist in and of itself. What a beautiful picture we see of you in the burning bush. The bush was on fire, but it was not burning up. It was an amazing picture of your self-existence.

Yahweh Reveals and Identifies Himself as a Holy God, Redeemer and Deliverer

You glorify yourself by revealing yourself. You save, deliver and redeem us, and desire for us to know you intimately. When you revealed yourself to Moses, it was a revelation of your holiness. Moses was standing on holy ground. You are a holy God. When we are in your presence, we are on holy ground.
You identified yourself to Moses as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. When you reveal yourself, you identify yourself. The divine trinity reveals the Messiah and each other. Jesus revealed himself as the Messiah. Jesus is always revealing himself. The entire bible is a long, continuous story of the Trinity of God revealing themselves. We praise you that you come to help and reveal yourself, no matter what the situation happens to be. The Greek word for reveal is “apokalupto.” The apocalypse…the book of Revelation. GET ready and BE ready…. because EVERYTHING will be fully revealed at that time!

Yahweh can be Trusted

We praise you that we can trust you. You are the same yesterday, today and forever. We will listen more for your instructions, corrections and conviction. Moses didn’t believe immediately. It was a process. We will purpose to believe you when you tell us to do something. We will also trust you when you tell us that we CAN do something. We trust that you will equip us to accomplish what you have asked us to do. Moses spoke God’s words. When we speak your words in faith, we will see your power working in our lives. You want our faith, trust and obedience.

Yahweh is with us in our Trials

We can expect trials in our lives. Trials come to prove our faith genuine, resulting in praise, glory and honor when Jesus comes, whom we have never seen. We know that you are walking through our trials with us. So many times in the bible it looked like your promise was not going to be fulfilled. Moses had what appeared to be some very close calls. The Egyptians were hot on the trail of the Israelites. You performed the famous miracle of parting the Red Sea, and continued to provide and perform miracles for your people.

The deliverance of the children of Israel through the Red Sea is a picture of our baptism in Christ.
…"All of them (our ancestors) were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground. In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized as followers of Moses. (1 Corinthians 10:1-2)

Yahweh is Eternal Life and gives us Eternal Life

We exist because you exist. To live is Christ. Christ lives in us. We will live through you. We will live together with you.

We praise you, Jesus Christ, that you are eternal life, and you have given us eternal life! Eternal life gives light to everyone. The Father and the Son have the same life- life to the full, and they offer us this abundant, God-kind of life. All we have to do to have this life is believe in Jesus.

We will be spiritually-minded and persevere. When you return, we will appear with you in glory. Those who love you will receive the crown of life. If we have the Son, we have eternal life. We will eat from the tree of life and drink from the spring of the water of life! We praise you that our lives are full when we live by your word! Jesus Christ is the bread of life-from the manna in the Old Testament to the multiplication of the loaves in the New Testament, to the communion bread that we receive each week. Because we feed on the living word of God, the bread of life, we live.

Yahweh instructs us to be his Ambassadors and Proclaim his Gospel with his Authority

Moses represented the LORD. He was the LORD's ambassador. We are ambassadors for Jesus Christ. We are also a kingdom of priests and kings. Proclaiming the gospel with the power of the cross is our priestly duty. We are devoted and ready to preach God’s word, patiently and carefully, correcting, rebuking and encouraging others. We are to make ourselves a slave to all, to win as many as possible. When we do this, we are being wise and will gain a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. The LORD gave Moses authority in Egypt. Jesus gave us the authority to preach, heal, and cast out demons. We are to do this freely and mercifully. As we exercise the authority God has given us to be ambassadors for Christ, his presence is manifest.

Jesus Christ is "I AM"

Jesus Christ revealed himself as "I AM," the God of the Burning Bush, in John 8:58. He said, "I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, "I AM!" The people were ready to stone him for blasphemy, but Jesus was "hidden" from them, and left the temple. “I AM” is the bread of life, the light of the world, the gate of the sheep, the good shepherd, the resurrection and life, the way, the truth and the life, and the vine. Christ was, and continues to be revealed to many, and everyone will see the revelation of him in the end.

We Praise Yahweh

We praise you that you are self-existent and eternal. We praise you that you reward our belief in your existence! 

• "And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." (Hebrews 11:6 ESV) 

• "God has dealt to everyone a measure of faith." (Romans 12:3) 

• "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day." (John 6:44 ESV)

You are the Holy God. You are with us as you deliver and redeem us. We praise you that you can be trusted in every situation we are in. We praise you for drawing us to you, and giving each one of us a certain amount of faith. We are getting a revelation of you living in us, and becoming more aware of your continuous revelations of yourself in our lives. Help us to be the ambassadors you have called us to be, for your glory!

Note: There is so much more to this name, and when I have completed the 21 Days of Praise, I will return to the regularly scheduled lessons on the names.

Days of Praise ~ Yahweh Yireh, The LORD Provides

Yahweh Jireh made provision for the pre-vision. He foresaw the need for salvation, and made it available to everyone!

 He asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. Abraham was fully persuaded that God would keep his promise to make him a Father of Nations, and he reasoned that God could raise Isaac from the dead. Abraham took every precaution to make certain that nothing would stop him from following through in obedience to God’s request. Abraham had learned to trust God. God asked Abraham, when he was telling him that Sarai would be pregnant within a year, “Is there anything too hard for me?” Abraham was just about to put his knife into Isaac, a type of Christ, when God stopped him. God, Abraham and Isaac knew that Abraham had faith, and God counted it to him as righteousness. God brought a ram to be the sacrifice instead of Isaac. The ram was also a picture of Christ. God made a way where there appeared to be no way. God announced the gospel to Abraham in advance and Abraham saw the day of Jesus Christ and rejoiced in it!

Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed. Abraham walked by faith, not sight or circumstances. Abraham didn’t waiver in his faith, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God. God did not even tell Abraham what his plan was until after he saw Abraham’s faith and action working together in obedience.

~We will have faith in God and His vision for our lives, even if it doesn’t make sense or seems impossible.
~We will trust in the LORD with all our heart.
~We will not lean on our own understanding.
~In all our ways we will submit to him, and he will make our paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5)
~God will give us opportunities to respond in faith to his plans for us and we will purpose in advance not to waiver. He may not tell us what he has in mind.
~We will listen to God’s commands for us.
~We will believe Him.
~We will respond to Him with uncompromised obedience.
~Faith is a process at work in us.
~Believing God credits us with righteousness.
~Our faith must have action to it.
~We are justified by faith and what we do.

Because of Abraham, we have received the promise of the Spirit by faith. This promise is for our children and their offspring. It is for everyone! We will reign in life through Christ and his grace and righteousness. The blood of Jesus paid the price for our sins forever. We place our hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment! We will keep our eyes on God and advance his kingdom, and he will bless us. Our children shall be delivered…the seed of the righteous shall be delivered!

The measure of faith God has given us will increase when we hear the word and listen to him.
Our faith is the victory that overcomes the world!

For with God, nothing shall be impossible. Actually, we need to trust God for more!

We praise Yahweh Yireh, who goes before us to make provision for his vision for our lives and our salvation.

Days of Praise ~ El Olam, The Everlasting God

Before the world was created, the Father loved Jesus and was with him in the beginning. Jesus is before everything. Jesus is “I AM.” He lived. He died. He lives forever. He was, and is, and is to come. He is the same yesterday, today and forever! He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, all at the same time. El Olam, the Eternal God, is the author of all eternal things. Only God is eternal, and only God can make anyone or anything eternal. God knows the end from the beginning. Eternal life is that we may know God and his Son.

God’s ultimate goal is to bring his gift of salvation to the entire world. He has made provision for all to have eternal life when they receive his Son, Jesus Christ, as their Lord and Savior. All people will live forever, either in heaven or hell. Jesus was sent as our redeemer and he is eternal life.

Because of the New Covenant and the blood of Christ, we trust in the one who loved us enough to die for us, freeing us from sin so that we could have eternal life. Just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:21) No one can take this eternal life from us. Jesus has the power over death and life.

You loved us before you created the world. You want us to be with you forever. Jesus talked about this in John 14:1-6, when he told us not to let our hearts be troubled, and that many mansions were in his Father's house. He said he was going to get a place ready for us, and then come back and get us so that we can be with him. He wants us to see his glory. When God sends Jesus back, all will see his glory!

In Genesis 21:33, Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called on the LORD's name, acknowledging El Olam, The Eternal God and His Eternal Covenant and Promises. God follows through with his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Through both the godliness and messiness of this family, God is with them and helps them walk through perilous and adverse circumstances with victory.

You can be trusted to fulfill your promises! We must carry on the legacy! Even when circumstances come into our lives to discourage us, you want us to believe your promises, walk by faith and stay in communion with you. "But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart from generation to generation." (Psalm 33:11) We will pass this covenant on to our children. You are unchangeable, eternal and faithful. We don't know everything, but we do know you enough to trust you. Your covenant is eternal. The covenant of the possession of the land is eternal, and passed on to Abraham's descendants. You empower the righteous to stand firm forever.

We know because of your written word that we will be with you forever. We must be ready to be with you now. We must be right with you before we die. We do not know when we will die. We do not know when anyone will die. NOW is the time for salvation. The last thing Jesus commanded us before he left was to go into the world, under his power and authority, and share the gospel. When we are obedient to this command, our joy is made full and your presence is made manifest.  

We need to look at life with an eternal perspective. It brings us peace to know that, no matter what may happen on earth, we will know our loved ones for eternity. It brings us peace to know that those who suffer now will not suffer forever. Our trials are but for a season, and eternity cannot be fathomed. Trials come so our faith will be proved genuine, resulting in praise, glory and honor.

Mystery is associated with time. Jesus, you reveal and conceal things. You are light. You express truth. You expel darkness and reveal mysteries. You always reveal your plans to your servants.  You revealed the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven to us. 

All things, hidden or concealed, will be made known. Therefore, we live our lives as an open book. We greatly rejoice through faith. We are shielded by your power until the coming of salvation is revealed, resulting in praise. You are our dwelling place, our refuge, guide, our everlasting Father. You are our God forever and ever. Heaven and earth will pass away, but your words will never pass away. You have the words of eternal life. Your love endures forever, and you mercies are new every morning.

We express our love for you with trust, obedience, and telling others about you. We need to seek you, humble ourselves, turn from evil and number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom. We will be faithful and obedient to your covenant, aim for the eternal crown through strict training and fix our eyes on what is unseen and eternal. We will purify ourselves, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. We flee evil and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love and gentleness. We will take hold of the eternal life we were called to. Added to our faith will be knowledge, goodness, self control, perseverance, godliness, kindness and love. We praise you that we will receive a rich welcome into God’s eternal kingdom. We will stay in your love, be merciful, save others and be over-comers.

We will praise, honor and glorify you forever as we enter your gates with thanksgiving and your courts with praise. You are good and your love and faithfulness endure forever. We will get to sit on your throne with you. Spiritually speaking, we are now seated with Christ Jesus in high and heavenly places.

You have orchestrated time. You made the day and the night, the seasons, the rotation of the earth and planets, etc. Everything was created to function according to your perfect design. You were in the beginning, before anything, and you are the end. Time stops when we are worshiping you. We want it to last forever. It is exciting for us to think that we will worship you, and rule and reign with you in Heaven forever.  You set eternity in our hearts. We know there is more than this world and we long for eternity. On our worst day, we can rejoice at the promise of eternal life!

You have accomplished some amazing things involving time.  In Isaiah 38, when King Hezekiah was ill and dying, he wept bitterly as he prayed to you, asking you to remember his devotion to you. You healed King Hezekiah, added 15 years to his life and made the shadow cast by the sun go back the ten steps it had gone down on the stairway of Ahaz. So the sunlight went back the ten steps it had gone down. 

In Joshua 10:12-14, “On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the LORD in the presence of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.” So the sun stool still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the LORD listened to a human being. Surely the LORD was fighting for Israel!”

Our timing is never your timing. Just when it seems like you are going to be late, you are right on time. To you, a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day. You make everything thing beautiful in its own time. You have a timing for the things that you want to have happen in our lives. To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven. You planned out our purpose before you laid the foundations of the universe.

Time never stops! The time for what is marked on our calendars always comes. We are to redeem the time, and encourage each other as we see “The Day of The LORD” approaching. We actually purify ourselves when we look forward to Your Day. Only God the Father knows the Day. We will know the season, but not the time. We get closer to this day with each day that passes.

We have so much to look forward to when time stops. No more alarms! No more deadlines and time pressures! No more sin, fear, sickness or anticipation of death. Time is only temporary here on earth. The time is coming when time will stop forever. There won’t be a reason or purpose for time anymore. There will no need for the sun, moon or stars, because you will be our light. 

We praise you that you will return with a shout of victory. You will be our eternal King. You did say in Revelation 22:7, “Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this book.” ~ Until then, we will redeem the time, as you told us. We will make the most of what you have given us to do now, because we know what time holds for the future!

Days of Praise ~ Elohim, Our Creator

God The Father, God The Son, and God The Holy Spirit are worthy of all glory, honor, praise, worship and thanksgiving because they powerfully and brilliantly created the entire universe, mankind, and every living creature. The heavens declare your glory. Creation cannot help but tell your story.The way you have placed the stars in the sky tell your story. We are to tell your story too. As your image-bearers, we are uniquely created to display your glory.

Uncreated Creator! You are the God of power, love, creativity, provision, passion, plans and purpose. I am in awe of the way you made the universe! It is incomprehensible! You made it out of nothing. This is something only you could do! The infinite creativity you used in making so many things will mystify me forever. I marvel at how you have intricately aligned the solar system, planets, stars, moon and sun to accomplish your purposes. I am always amazed as I continue to learn about the diverse way you created mankind, the animal kingdom, all plant life, the sea and sea life, etc! You are the divine designer!

You knew me before you laid the very foundations of the universe! You knew me when I was in my mother’s womb. You are pleased with your work, and I rejoice in how you made me…fearfully and wonderfully, even miraculously! Since you are pleased with the way you made me, I don't have to be dissatisfied with the way I was created. I love who I am in you and how you are teaching me through your word to be more like you! It stands to reason, then, that I should have a great love and appreciation for everything you created; the earth and everything in it. I need to see every person with the revelation that we are all created in your image. 

Thank you for delegating your authority to me and entrusting me with the privilege of ruling over your creation. You spoke the world into existence. I walk in and exercise your power when I speak your words. 

Your plan for my life conforms me to your image and glorifies you so that we can enjoy fellowship. Thank you for revealing and fulfilling your purpose in my life. You accomplish this by putting a desire in my heart for what I am called to do. Thank you for giving me the desire to procreate! That decision came with the knowledge you imparted to me that I needed to have children so that they could know you. Knowing who you are teaches me who I am. Without you, I am nothing. With you, I am all you want me to be. This is the only way I can truly be blessed and complete in my identity in you. Without you, life is absolutely not worth living. With you, I can absolutely live the most fulfilling and rewarding life possible. Help me be creative in serving you with the gifts and calling you have given me. 

You have revealed your plans to me so that I can know and understand the things I should do. I know the whole story and how it ends. I know what to expect of you and I know what you expect of me. Because of the things that are to come, you have called me to be holy, spotless and blameless.

Even though I was created in your image, I needed to be regenerated because of The Fall in the Garden of Eden. By receiving Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, I am now under the New Covenant. In baptism, I am identified with Jesus Christ, symbolically dying with him and being raised up into a new life in Christ. The gift of The Holy Spirit has been given to me as a guarantee of what is to come.

Trust and obedience is expected, desired, required and rewarded. I can always trust the One who loved me enough to create me and to sacrifice himself on my behalf. Trusting you brings peace. I will purpose to love you with all of my heart, mind, soul and strength. I know that as I trust, honor, fellowship with you, obey, worship, and serve you, you will continue to transform me into your image! 

As my Creator, you are worthy to be worshipped. I have never experienced anything more wonderful and satisfying than worshiping you! You inhabit the praises (and prayers) of your people. When I worship you, I can feel the fullness of your presence come so alive inside of me. It gives me a taste of what eternity with you will be like. Every day I look forward to eternity with you! Every day, a new day is created, and in it are your mercies, which are new every morning!

I am actually purified when I hope for your coming! I have something amazing to look forward to…A New Heaven, A New Earth, A New Body, seeing my loved ones who have gone before me to be with you, and best of all, eternal fellowship with you! 

In the meantime, and until you return, I will purpose to honor, obey, embrace and enjoy the Holy Spirit, Who lives in me. At the moment I received Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, I began living my eternal life. I remember you when I take communion, looking forward to your return, when you will drink with us in celebration. I purpose to daily commune with the Holy Spirit as you direct my life.

Come Lord Jesus!!!

Days of Praise ~ El Elyon, The Most High God

Most High God, you are incomparable and unlimited in power, might and authority, exalted far above all gods. 

There was no way Abram was going to be victorious in this battle, the first battle recorded in history, without the help of the Most High God. He was fighting against FIVE KINGS and their armies in an attempt to rescue his nephew, Lot. When God gave Abram the victory, Abram made sure that all glory would go to God. Abram gave a tenth of everything to Melchizedek. Abram did not accept anything from the King of Sodom, reserving credit to God instead of the King for making him rich. The Most High gave Abram an astounding victory, and Abram honored and exalted the Most High God.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to bow down to any god other than the Most High God. They said, "If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." Daniel 3: 17-18

When it looked like they would be burned in the fiery furnace, you, the Most High God, went in there with them. When they came out, they didn't even smell like smoke. King Nebuchadnezzar praised the Most High and issued a decree of death and destruction for anyone who spoke against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.

Our Relationship with the Most High God

Most High God, you dwell in the holy, secret place, and you have invited us to be with you in that place. You establish decrees. Your love is unfailing. Your voice thunders from heaven. You are our refuge and shield. You save the upright in heart. You won’t let us be shaken. You will deliver, promote and establish us. You give us breath of life and control our destiny. You fulfill your purpose for us by your power. We trust in your wisdom, knowledge, counsel, and vision for our lives. Your knowledge gives us vision. You want us to love others, freely lend, and stay true to our word. We are to honor you, call on your name, be compassionate like you, and kind to those who do not deserve it. Then, we will be your children and you will give us a great reward! (Luke 6:35-6) You ARE our reward!

The New Covenant Sacrifice and Exaltation of Jesus Christ

The ultimate sacrifice that Jesus made was to choose not to use his power to avoid crucifixion, but to use power to lay down his life.  “The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life, only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down and power to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” John 10:17-18

"Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth." Philippians 2:9-10

How should this transform us?

There is only One who has the 'most' power. That means we don't have to struggle in our own power. We will be faithful to do our part, and trust in you to supply all the power needed to bring strength and victory in every area of our lives. "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9) We want to experience your power in every area of our lives. As we are being conformed to your image, we thank you for displaying your miracle working power in and through us for your glory.

We are surrounded by opportunities to see you bring victory to us and our loved ones. When a new battle comes, we tend to forget what you have done! When we have endured for a long time, we are tempted to give up. Adverse circumstances invite worry, doubt and fear. When we receive a different answer than what we expected, or when your timing doesn't line up with what were hoping for, we get discouraged and disappointed. Your ways are higher than our ways. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9. We must remember what you have accomplished in our lives, the lives of others, and the lives of the men and women in the bible. These biblical accounts are there for our benefit! Remember the wonders the LORD HAS DONE!

We trust you to fight our battles, no matter how difficult they appear to be or how long we have been in the battle. We will purpose to keep our eyes on you in the middle of the storm, knowing that you reward our trust and obedience. Nothing can stop your plans for us. We can have peace knowing you bring the ultimate victory.

We purpose to remember that when we pray, worship, study, minister, fight the enemy, rest in your peace….whatever we are doing in your will, you have seated us with Christ Jesus, in a position of power and authority for your Kingdom. We will rule and reign with you forever! We will honor and exalt the Most High God! Amen!

Days of Praise ~ El Roi, The God Who Sees Me

El Roi, We praise you, The God Who Sees Us! You are the only one who sees everything. We take great comfort and security in knowing that we are always in your sight, and that your eyes never leave our loved ones. This means that when we cannot see our loved ones, we can have peace knowing that you see them.

You sought after a very distraught woman named Hagar when she had run away from a terrible situation and you met her in the wilderness. You revealed yourself to her and she called you "The God Who Sees Me"---El Roi! You instructed her to go back and submit to Abraham and Sarah. That was surely the last thing she wanted to do, but she was obedient to your command and you blessed her. You made a promise to Hagar, who was pregnant with Abraham's son. You gave her a vision of her future. You seek after us. You said, "Here I am!" to everyone. You are the God who reveals yourself. All we have to do is listen to you, open the door of our hearts to you, and obey you, and we will have fellowship with you.

If we know that you see us, then we know that you hear us. The next time Hagar is in the desert she and her son Ishmael have been sent away because of a conflict between Ishmael and the son of Sarah and Abraham. You heard Hagar's son, Ishmael, crying in the desert after they had run out of water. Hagar had left Ishmael under a tree to die. Ishmael's very name means "God hears." You hear us when we cry out to you in our time of need, when we repent, when we praise you, when we pray to you, when we speak your name. We praise you that you not only hear us, you answer us. You deliver us, you heal us, you redeem us. You have a book which holds in it everything that has been said about you by those who love you. You have the power to cause us to hear you. You are always with us. Your voice guides us. You speak to our hearts. Those who are of truth and are of God will hear your voice.

When you are the only one who sees something good we do, you reward us. While you are watching us, you teach us. Our hearts are formed and strengthened by you. You see us. You hear us. You deliver and protect us. You examine us. Just knowing that we are always in your sight compels us to stay away from the temptations of sin. Your eyes are always on us...when we sin, when we repent, and when we are cleansed and back on track.

When our hearts are pure, we are going to see you! We will always seek your face!

We will gaze on your beauty, power and glory as we seek you in the temple! Our faces cannot help but radiate your glory when we have beheld you!

What a divine mystery that, even though we have not seen you, you have given us faith to believe in you, and we are blessed.  We love you, and we truly are filled with amazing joy as we walk in our salvation.

Hallelujah, there is going to come a day, a promised day, when we will all see you face to face! We praise you that when you appear, we shall be like you, for we shall see you as you are. As we are transformed into your image, give us your eyes to see the beauty of who you are. We will proclaim the beauty of your holiness to the world!

Give us your eyes to see ourselves and our situations the way you do. Give us your eyes to see people the way you see them and give others your eyes to see us the way you see us! When we recognize Christlike qualities in others, when we notice anything good in someone, we will not allow the moment to pass without telling them about it!

Have you opened your heart to him? Have you heard him speak to your heart? Get quiet and listen for his voice. Truly, how could there be anything more amazing in this life than to communicate with God?

Days of Praise ~ Adonai, Our Master and Lord

Adonai, you had a major purpose for your servant Abram. As his Master, you made provision to carry out your will through him. The ultimate goal would be for everyone to know you, love you, and be with you forever!

Just as you were Abraham’s shield and reward, so you are also our shield and reward! None of your servants can do it on their own. We must rely on you. When we are in a situation where we cannot make something happen that you have promised, we can look to you and trust you to make it happen, no matter how long we have been waiting or how we think it should happen. 

This Master/Servant relationship falls mainly on you to provide for, protect and guide us. Our part is to trust, obey, serve and love you with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength. When we lose our lives in serving we will find it in you. Because we love you, we can obey you! When it seems difficult to obey, we think of the price you paid to purchase us and we are grateful to be owned by you. You taught that the servant is the greatest of all. We are great in your eyes when we serve you. You even notice the smallest things we do! We praise you that we are completely owned by you, and that we are your purchased possession.

When we serve others, we will remember that we are doing everything as unto you, not men. You set an excellent example for us. We must have the same attitude as you when serving. (Philippians 2:5-11) Jesus was known as the "Suffering Servant." We are all servants of "The Servant." 

We will try to serve and minister to others wholeheartedly and sincerely, with humility and kindness. Our servant attitude should include fasting, prayer, righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Your will should be accomplished from our hearts, with reverence and awe for you, for it is you we are serving. We will do this with love, and not as an obligation. We will serve with a peaceful spirit and not with strife, arguing or complaining. We will serve others the way we would want to be served.

Through our servant-hood, people will come to know you. If we are pleasing you in the way we serve others, we will also be pleased and so will others.

We choose whom we will obey every time we make a choice about anything. We are willing slaves to your righteousness.

Everything our master has learned from his father he has shown us. We know your business and are about it! The servant is where his master is. You will hear us when we pray because of our servant submission.

If we make right decisions, our hearts won’t be condemned and we will have confidence before you and receive from you anything we ask, because we obey your commands, stay in your will, and do what pleases you. 1 John 3:21

We worship and obey you by submitting our thoughts, minds, words, actions, bodies, gifts and hearts to you alone. Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. That means that we are not our own. We were bought with a great price, so we will honor you with our bodies. We will keep our bodies pure and holy, which is a reasonable service for us to make. Have your way in every area of our lives as you continue to transform us into your image.  

Equip us in the authority we have been given over those you have called us to lead and influence. If we stay humble you will exalt us. As your servants, we will receive your blessings and eternal rewards! Just as the servants who poured the water and saw it turn into wine before their very eyes, we will serve you and see miracles too!

Bottom Line: 

It is easy to make these statements and confessions about obeying our Lord and Master, but the challenge comes when we are faced with a situation where everything in us wants to do the opposite of what The Lord has instructed us to do. Our behavior is either going to line up with the Word of the Lord, or it isn't. We are either going to submit to his will, or ignore it. It is easy to be a hearer of the word, but the true test is to be a doer of the word. Most of our challenges come in the circumstances of life and our relationships with other people. When we are in a situation or relationship that has  become difficult to manage, it is easy to say, "I am DONE with this. Done, Done, Done!" It is much more difficult to take the time and make the effort to pray over the person or situation and really ask the Lord for his wisdom and insight. If we really are his servants, and he really is our Master, we will obey him in all things. It is such a process, and we are all in process! 

Lord, we do praise you for this special relationship we have with you and we ask you to help us be obedient in all things! We are motivated by our love for you. Instead of choosing our own way of dealing with things, we choose your counsel and will. 

If we really believe that the greatest ones in the Kingdom are the servants, we will indeed be servants. Look around and ask yourself, "Who do you see SERVING?!!!" Jesus said that the greatest in the kingdom are the SERVANTS!!!!

What amazes me the most about this name?

Review Adonai, Part Two to read an excerpt from a message Tim Keller gave on Genesis 15. Here is a part of it:
"Oh Abraham, Abraham, God is saying, and to all of us, Oh world, I will bless you no matter what. Even if it means that my immortality must become mortal. Even if my glory must be drowned in darkness. Even if I have to literally be torn to pieces…..AND HE WAS."

When the LORD (Yahweh, The Covenant-Keeping God) made covenant with Abram, he walked through the animal parts, but he did not require Abram to walk through. If the LORD did not keep his part of the covenant, the curse for that would be that he would become like the animals he was walking through..cut in pieces, torn, etc. Even if Abram did not keep his part, the LORD would still have to pay the price. We see this fulfilled when Jesus Christ, the Son of God, offered himself as a sacrifice for our sins. 

We give strong and highest praise to you, Adonai, our Lord and Master, for paying the price for our salvation. You alone are worthy of all praise, honor, power and glory for ever and ever and ever. Amen.