365 Days of the Great Names of God, Day 34: Yahweh-Raah

Yahweh-Raah: The Lord My Shepherd

"The LORD is my shepherd; I have all that I need." (Psalm 23:1 NLT)

Today I'm borrowing two voices to speak about this beloved name of God.

The first is a portion of a lovely paraphrase of the 23rd Psalm from The Jesus Storybook Bible, by Sally Lloyd-Jones:

"God is my Shepherd
And I am his little lamb.
He feeds me
He guides me
He looks after me.
I have everything I need.

Even when I walk through the dark, scary, lonely places
I won't be afraid.
Because my Shepherd knows where I am.
He is here with me
He keeps me safe
He rescues me."

The second is this equally lovely song from Twila Paris:

"There's a great, broad road, through the meadow,

And many travel there.

But I have a gentle Shepherd

I would follow anywhere.

Up a narrow path, through the mountains,

To the valley far below,

To be ever in His presence,

Where He leads me, I will go."

("Where He Leads Me," by Twila Paris)

Yahweh-Raah keeps us close. His eyes are always on us, his sheep. And though all others be safe in the sheepfold, if we are lost, He will always come looking for us. 

365 Days of the Great Names of God, Day 33: Intercessor

Intercessor

"The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express." (Romans 8:26 NIV)

Sometimes when I pray, all I can say, with a shout or a sob, is, "PLEASE, God."  When words fail—either because I don't have any or because I have too many to sort out—I'm grateful to know that the Intercessor stands in the gap. The Holy Spirit takes what I'm trying to pray and what I don't even know to pray in the first place and "groans" on my behalf and on behalf of the people I'm praying for. 

Still, I want to do my part and be faithful in passionate prayer and not just default to "please, God" too often. Here is where I think the names of God can assist: I can pray the provision represented by God's names for the friends and family who are on my mind. 

I can ask the Provider to supply their needs.
I can ask the Comforter to help them.
I can ask El Shaddai to show them His might and sufficiency. 
I can ask the Hiding Place to shelter them.
I can ask the Prince of Peace to guard their hearts.
I can ask the Fortress to protect them from harm and preserve them for good.

And then, where my words fail, I can trust the Intercessor to speak.

*   *   *   *   *  *  
This post may have been shared at some of these blog link parties.

365 Days of the Great Names of God, Day 32: Faithful and True

Faithful and True

"I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war." (Revelation 19:11 NIV)

Happy 2019, sweet friends! I alluded to this name of God a couple of days ago but wanted to feature it today as we stand at the starting line of a brand new year. 

This image of the rider on the white horse whose name is Faithful and True is so striking and substantive. Jesus' faithfulness and truthfulness offer steady reassurance in a world often filled with disloyalty and dishonesty. And this name challenges me to examine my own mind, heart, and actions. Am I faithful? Am I true? These are some questions I need to ask myself, because I don't just want to learn the names of God, I want to live them.