365 Days of the Great Names of God, Day 102: God of New Life

God of New Life

"Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand-new. It's bursting out! Don't you see it? There it is!" (Isaiah 43:19 MSG)

What seasons of life are you in right now?

I ask about seasons, plural, because even though we often talk about being in a season, singular, I think we mostly live life in several seasons at once. Frequently, we're in seemingly "contradictory" seasons: both in a time to be born and in a time to die, for instance. But rather than fighting against each other, I believe God intends for different seasons of our lives to balance each other, to complete each other, because He is a God of completion.

Too, I love that Scripture is both specific and general. Its Author wrote it with a fine-tipped pen and with broad brush strokes so that we would have clear truth as well as wide applicability. Such is the case with today's season: "a time to be born" (Ecclesiastes 3:2). So many things are born in our lives. Perhaps you're waiting for or have recently experienced the literal birth of a baby or grandbaby. (If so, congratulations!) But maybe a new job or new relationship or new ministry is what's being born in you, to you, for you.

I'm struck by the process at play in a time to be born.

Usually, there is prayer: we ask God for what we want Him to give birth to and for the wisdom to know what part we play in that birth.

Then there is preparation: we take action, get ready.

Next, a pause: we wait and watch.

Finally, praise: we celebrate and give thanks for the new life God has caused to be born.

Sweet friends, if you're in a time to be born, may God cause you to recognize His answers to your prayers. May He guide your preparations. May He give you patience during the pauses. And may He receive your praise.

"Be born in me,
Be born in me.
I'll hold you in the beginning,
You will hold me in the end.
Every moment in the middle,
Make my heart your Bethlehem.
Be born in me."

("Be Born in Me;" from "Music Inspired by The Story;" Francesca Battistelli; songwriters Bernie Herms, Nichole Nordeman; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsXOP7aQeqQ.)

365 Days of the Great Names of God, Day 101: God of Purpose

God of Purpose

"The plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations." (Psalm 33:11 NIV)

If this miniseries on the God of Times and Seasons is a scenic side trip off our main Names of God path, Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 is our road map.

"For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. 

A time to be born and a time to die. 

A time to plant and a time to harvest. 

A time to kill and a time to heal. 

A time to tear down and a time to build up. 

A time to cry and a time to laugh. 

A time to grieve and a time to dance. 

A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. 

A time to embrace and a time to turn away. 

A time to search and a time to quit searching. 

A time to keep and a time to throw away. 

A time to tear and a time to mend. 

A time to be quiet and a time to speak. 

A time to love and a time to hate. 

A time for war and a time for peace."

Isn't God an on-purpose God?

Every season God appoints takes us somewhere. And because Yahweh is driven by perfect love and wisdom, faith (even faith the size of a mustard seed) in the goodness of that "somewhere" is never misplaced.

Birth and death.

War and peace.

Scattering and gathering.

Planting and harvesting.

Crying and laughing.

Grieving and dancing.

Over the course of the next three weeks, God-willing, we're going to cast our gaze onto God as He sits in sovereignty over all the give-and-take, starting-and-stopping, beginning-and-ending of our lives. My hope is that we will find ourselves in the specific seasons spelled out in Scripture and that we will be encouraged that our God of Purpose has His right reasons for them...reasons rooted in His heart of love.

For everything, a season.

365 Days of the Great Names of God, Day 100: God of Times and Seasons

God of Times and Seasons

"May the name of God be praised forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to Him. He changes the times and seasons; He removes kings and establishes kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals the deep and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him." (Daniel 2:20-22 CSB)

Are there really 365 names of God?

Several sweet friends have asked this question, and the honest answer is that before I started this series, I did not sit down and make up a list of a year's worth of names. I felt God clearly leading me to set off on this journey, and I had a cloud of names in my head to start with. I also knew others had written 365-name songs and books, and while I didn't look at those resources because I didn't want to inadvertently copy them, I reasoned that what had been done before could be done again.

Early on, I did type up a numbered list with 365 blank lines. As I set about filling these in, I quickly realized that some creativity was going to be necessary in studying and representing God's names for a full year. If you've been following along, you already know we're praising and praying not only God's "official" names but also His roles, titles, attributes, and characteristics. But I decided that in order to cover a full year well, we'd need to take some "side trips" off our main path.

These are not detours, dear ones. They are not routes we are taking simply because the main road is closed. I fervently pray these ancillary avenues will take us deeper into the heart of who God is...which was the sacred goal of journeying through His names in the first place.

Today, we set off on a side road guided by the God of Times and Seasons. God is beyond time, but He is also present in our times. He is over every season He appoints for every purpose under His heaven, but He is also with us in each individual season.

In the next few weeks to come, I long for us to examine God in His role both over and in specific times and seasons of our lives. For today, I want to leave you with this: whatever time or season you're in right this minute, God is at work, He is on time, and He is on purpose.