Author: Amy

Have you ever “name-dropped”? You know, you use someone’s name to get a better price or a better seat. Or if you mention someone’s name, you get better treatment?

What if I told you that I know Mr. T? 

Now, if you’re older like me and grew up in the 80’s, you know who Mr. T is, or do you?

My dad was, and still is, a very respected man. Growing up, he was known as “Mr. T” by everyone at school. No, he doesn’t have a mohawk and doesn’t walk around with cut-off sleeves and gold necklaces around his neck. But our last name was difficult for the majority of students at school to say, so he was known as “Mr. T.” He was the chorus director and Bible teacher for many years at the school I grew up in.

There were times when I would be talking to someone, and they would ask who my dad is, and as soon as I said, “Mr. T,” their demeanor changed. Immediately, a tone of respect would form. My dad is very knowledgeable in scripture and Biblical history. He is my go-to when I have questions. He is also my first phone call when something breaks because he is an incredible carpenter and handyman. (Ok, so maybe my husband is my first phone call, but if we can’t figure it out, then I call my dad.)

When “Mr. T’s” name was mentioned, students sat up straighter, respect was given, and people paid attention. It’s because of who he is. Now, he hasn’t taught at that school for quite some time, but there are still a few around there that if you mention his name, heads will turn because they remember him. His name had respect.

1 Kings 18, we will see how calling on the name of Yahweh can bring fire down from heaven. 

To set the scene, King Ahab sees Elijah and accuses him of creating trouble.  Elijah’s response is that the disobedience and following of Baal gods is what has caused the trouble, not Elijah. The trouble was, they were in a drought, a three-year drought. 

So Elijah tells the king, gather up the Isrealites, the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah and we will see which god is real. If Yahweh is Elohim, follow him; if it is Baal is Elohim, follow him.

So it’s one lone prophet of Yahweh versus 850 prophets of other gods.

Elijah gave them the choice of a bull to sacrifice, let them build their own altar, and put the meat on it, but do not set it on fire. Let their god provide the fire. 

So they danced, screamed, and cut themselves. Elijah laughed, poked fun, and antagonized them so that they danced harder and screamed louder. Still, no fire came. 

Elijah gathered the people of Israel around him. He took 12 stones, which represented the 12 tribes of Israel, and rebuilt the altar of Yahweh that had been torn down. Then he dug a trench around that altar. Arranged the wood and cut up the bull upon the altar and had the people fill four jars of water and pour the water over the bull and the wood. He had them do this three times. That bull and wood were soaked. To the point that the trench was filled with water. 

When it was time to offer the sacrifice, Elijah stepped forward and said, “Yahweh Elohim of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, make known today that you are Elohim in Israel and that I’m your servant and have done all these things by your instructions. Answer me, Yahweh! Answer me! Then these people will know that you, Yahweh, are Elohim and that you are winning back their hearts.”

“So a fire from Yahweh fell down and consumed the burnt offering, wood, stones, and dirt. The fire even dried up the water that was in the trench. All the people saw it and immediately bowed down to the ground. “Yahweh is Elohim!”

Elijah set that sacrifice up for failure. While he taunted the prophets of Baal, he was about to reveal what calling on the name of Yahweh could do. 

What is going on in your life that you need the power of God? Is there a mountain that is insurmountable? Is there something that is set up for failure, and you’re just not sure how you can win?

Lift up your eyes, fill those lungs, and call on the name of Yahweh.

Calling on Mr. T often gave me a little respect because of who my dad is. Calling on the name of Yahweh gives me power because of who God is. When I call on HIS name, YHWH, I have the power to handle whatever comes my way. 

Have a great day with Jesus!

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On Mondays, I drive to Montgomery for speech therapy for one of my girls. I was, and am, very tired today. The drive there was a struggle, to be honest. I have prayed all day about what to say about the name YHWH. 

How do you lead a devotional based on a name, not a characteristic? I can talk about how God provides, how he sees me, and how he is almighty. But when it comes to YHWH, his name, I have been kinda stumped. So I prayed, and I did what I always do: I turned on the praise music and just worshiped. 

After I got home this evening, I was looking through my books, again looking for inspiration and guidance from God about what I should write. Then a thought came to mind. 

Let’s play a little game. 

What is the first thing you think of when you hear the name Martin Luther King?

What about Ronald Reagan?

Or Princess Diana?

Or Mufassa? (Oooo, say it again, say it again! Mufassa!) (Sorry, that line always tickles me.)

When we hear people’s or characters’ names, we remember who they are. We think about what they look like, something they have done, an interesting fact about them, or what they mean to you.

Now, what do you think about when you think about YHWH?

For me, it is a myriad of emotions. I think of the time I was baptized and I decided I was going to follow him. I think of the many youth trips I went on when we praised him around bonfires, atriums, and hallways. I think of how I viewed the birth of Jesus differently once my son was born. I think of how he pulled me out of the pit I was in when I felt like my life was falling apart and all I had was Him and my son. I remember when I started having a relationship with him, I mean a real relationship with him. I remember when I started having emotions when I sang worship music because it was no longer just words and notes but a heart movement and soul-stirring experience. I remember when he held me when I heard that my baby was in the NICU and was having trouble transitioning and couldn’t breathe. I remember rejoicing when he moved a mountain that I didn’t think was movable. I remember how He has placed us in a place where we are loved and poured into as much or more than we love and pour into the people here. 

In my faith journey, I am learning who YHWH is. He isn’t just ‘a god.’ No. He is MY GOD, MY FATHER, MY SAVIOR, MY FRIEND.  

I feel like here is where I need to say, “Hi, let me introduce you to my friend. His name is YHWH. You’re gonna love him.”

If you don’t know him, and I don’t mean the storybook him but the real him, and you want to know him. Like, really know him. Then stay with us on this journey. Reach out to me, and let’s spend some time talking over coffee or tea. 

YHWH is the one who loves you more than you could imagine. He is a promise-keeping, life-saving, redeeming, creative, one-who-hears-you-and-will-never-leave-you kind of God. 

Psalm 89:15-17

“Blessed are the people who know how to praise you. They walk in the light of your presence, O Yahweh. They find joy in your name all day long. They are joyful in your righteousness because you are the glory of their strength.”

Find joy in the name of YHWH. 

I hope you had a great day with Jesus today and had a chance to practice some deep breathing exercises as you said some breath prayers. 

May God hold you close as you rest with Him tonight.

Last week, we focused on Yahweh Yireh, which means “the Lord will provide.”

Abraham gave this name to God after he went up Mt. Moriah to sacrifice Isaac, and the angel of the LORD stopped him and provided a ram as a sacrifice.

Think about how God provided for them this week.

For me, he provided strength with a couple of sleepless nights this week. I had a busy bake week, and I messed up an order and had to stay up all night to rebake it. 

What did you think when you realized that the mountain on which Abraham made this proclamation is yards away from where Jesus was crucified?

For me, I was awe-struck. This story is such a vivid foretelling of Jesus going to the cross. The imagery of Abraham walking Isaac up to sacrifice him just puts a lump in my throat.

Why do you think God tests his people?

I always go back to James 1:2-4

“My brothers and sisters, be very happy when you are tested in different ways. You know that such testing of your faith produces endurance. Endure until your testing is over. Then you will be mature and complete, and you won’t need anything.”

If I am being tested, then God knows that I can handle it as long as I rely on him. 

This week, we will be studying the name Yahweh. Yahweh is used over 6,800 times in the Old Testament. It is not used in the books of Esther, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon. 

So far, of the names we have studied, the name is related to a story, and we can see how the name came about. The names given to God are related to a characteristic of God. However, YHWH isn’t a characteristic. Not a title. Not a description. It’s His name.

YHWH is the self-existent one, eternal, the absolute, unchanging one, from the beginning, and the God of our ancestors. The evergreen tamarisk tree is a symbol of the everlasting God.

YHWH is the name by which God uniquely identifies Himself to the children of Israel. Whenever YHWH speaks or acts on behalf of his people, the text uses his personal name, indicated by the all-caps L-O-R-D, stressing His intimate relationship with His covenant community.

Exodus 20:7 forbids us from taking the YHWH’s name in vain and was held in such high regard that people were afraid to speak his name and instead said Adonay. But scripture repeatedly tells us to call on the name of the all-caps LORD, YHWH, indicating that God wants a relationship with us.

We are first introduced to this name, YHWH in Exodus 3. Moses is tending sheep for his father-in-law Jethro. Moses is brought the sheep to Horeb, to the mountain of Elohim. Here, the Messenger of YHWH appeared to him as flames of fire coming out of a bush. 

The bush was not burning up, so Moses’ curiosity was piqued, so he went in to get a closer look. Elohim called Moses name and told him not to come any closer, but to remove his sandals, for he was on holy ground. Elohim told him that he was the God of his ancestors. Moses, out of fear, hid his face. 

YHWH then tells Moses that he has seen the affliction of his people, and he wants Moses to go and rescue them and bring them out of the land of Egypt.

Moses starts to dig his heels in, “Who am I that I should be the one to go?”. 

Elohim assures him that he will be with him.

Moses says, “ok, but who do I tell them sent me? What is his name?”

“Elohim answered Moses, “Ehyeh Who Ehyeh. This is what you must say to the people of Israel: ‘Ehyeh has sent me to you.”

“Again, Elohim said to Moses, ‘This is what you must say to the people of Israel: Yahweh Elohim of your ancestors, the Elohim of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has sent me to you. This is my name forever. This is my title throughout every generation.”

NLT says, “Yahweh, the God of your ancestors, this is my eternal name, my name to remember for all generations.”

God reminded Moses of the covenants that he had made with his ancestors. He reminded him that he is the same God who established this covenant with Abraham. He used the name Ehyeh, which has been translated as I AM WHO I AM but actually means I will be what I will be, to show his unchanging nature. What he promised then, he was fulfilling now with Moses.

If we jump forward to Exodus 33, the children of Israel have been brought out of Egypt. They have seen God’s power through the plagues, his might through the parting of the waters and walking through on dry ground, and his compassion with a daily supply of manna and quail, and as soon as Moses goes up on a mountain to meet with God, they get this wild hair that they need a visible god to worship. So they get Aaron to build them an idol to worship.

When Moses gets done meeting with God, he comes down, throws some tablets, has a “come to Jesus” meeting, kills some people, and gets them back on track. God is frustrated, and rightfully so. He has done great things for them, and they repay him by saying, “He’s not good enough because we can’t see him.” (very loose paraphrasing here.) 

God tells Moses that they should go to the land He has promised them, but he isn’t going to go with them because of their rebellious nature. Moses meets with God and says, “if you don’t go with us, how will people know that we are your people.”

Then Moses asked if he could see his glorious presence. 

In verse 19, “The Lord replied, ‘I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will call out my name, Yahweh, before you. For I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose.”

34:5-7

Then the LORD came down in a cloud and stood there with him; and he called out his own name, Yahweh. The LORD passed in front of Moses, calling out, 

“Yahweh! The LORD! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin.”

When Moses came down from the mountain, his face shone with radiance to the point that he had to wear a veil whenever he was around the people. 

YHWH is God’s name. There is only one YHWH. He is the personal, faithful God who creates, redeems, judges, and dwells with His people.

The Hebrew language is made up of 22 consonants and no vowels. YHWH is a tetragrammaton, or four-letter verb. It is the only four-letter verb; all other verbs are three letters. YHWH’s literal translation means “to be.” 

When scholars were translating the Hebrew, they didn’t know how to translate or pronounce YHWH, so they added a couple of vowels, and we now pronounce it Yahweh.

Some scholars say that YHWH represents the sounds of breathing: YH on the inhale and WH on the exhale.

When Braxton’s “hairball” journey began, I started us on using breath prayers and deep breathing exercises. Breath prayers are simple, one-line prayers that you say in one breath. I incorporated them into his deep breathing exercises. 

Since we are studying Yahweh this week, I thought it would be a good exercise to practice some breath prayers throughout the week. You are free to say your own, but I wrote some up if you need some help.

Take some time this week to sit with God. Breathe in his name and exhale his promise. Maybe step outside into his world, let your feet feel the grass—it’s gonna be warmer this week—ground yourself, and take a moment for yourself, breathe, and pray. 

I am looking forward to learning more about YHWH this week!

Have a great day with Jesus!

I have a confession. Normally, I do the book study on Monday. I did not this week because of a migraine, and it has thrown me off for the whole week.

Today, I sat down to do it. Mainly because I now need to write a lesson for Sunday, do the graphic, and get ready for next week.

The last question in the book asks you to reflect on when God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. This precious son that he loved, he was being asked to give up to God. The author asks, “Are you holding back anything from Yahweh Yireh?

I had to ponder on that one. I feel like I have laid everything at the feet of Jesus. My husband and I have a prayer book that we pray through every night, and it includes things that we have going on, not just what we are asked to pray for by others. For me specifically, we pray for my schooling, my ability to teach and lead this study, and my book.

So I asked God this morning to reveal to me what it is that I am holding back. He said, “Your book.” No, I told you I would do that, and I have started it. So I’m not holding it back. Then he said, you haven’t told anyone. I have, but it’s only a few, and by few I mean I can count them on one hand. I’m not looking for accolades; it’s not about me. He said, “Tell them.”

(I feel like I was having a Field of Dreams moment: “if you build it, they will come.”) I honestly questioned my sanity. Was I having a conversation with God, or was my mind just in self-talk mode? Then I remembered that God uses the Holy Spirit to talk to us…so I have to believe it was God.)

So, here it is. I am writing a book.

Now, I am not saying this for you all to praise me (I don’t take praise or compliments well). I am telling you for accountability and input. Basically, what I write here will be in my book. A daily devotional through the names of God. Or a “Middle-aged woman and her ramblings as she wanders through Scripture.” The title is a work in progress.

Now that I have been brave enough to tell you what I have been holding back on, I’ll move on.

What we have learned this week is that Yahweh Yireh is the provider. The one who knows our needs long before we speak about them to anyone. He is the one who is waiting for us to come to him. He will provide if we trust and obey.

Deuteronomy 15:5 says, “He will bless you only if you listen carefully to Yahweh your Elohim and faithfully obey all these commands I’m giving you today.”

I have been guilty of seeking the blessing without following the instructions. It’s like a child who eagerly waits for their prize that they were promised if they cleaned their room but didn’t actually clean their room. (I was the one who shoved it all under my bed as a kid.)

How often do we approach God with our hand out? Do we think God is Santa Claus? Giving us blessing upon blessing, even when we deserve the coal in our stockings?

God’s word says that he will bless us when we live in obedience. Abraham is proof of this when he quickly obeyed what God told him to do. Abraham’s ability to take a step of faith, in trust, in obedience, shows us that when we are tested, when we think that we can’t do what God is asking us to do, or when the diagnosis is not what we wanted to hear, when the bank account is in the negative, when the flu just won’t leave town, or when we can’t find a friend with a shoulder to cry on, if we just trust God, follow his commands, and lean into him, then he will bless us.

The blessing may not be what you expected, not what you think you needed, but we will be blessed. And it is often more than we can imagine. It’s a beautiful thing to trust and obey God’s commands. Yes, there are days when it’s hard and unfathomable. But beauty comes in refining, rainbows come after rain, and blessings come after obedience.

I pray you receive God’s blessing today, that you have seen Yahweh Yireh work this week. As you snuggle up to God with your Bible in hand and rest your head on his shoulder, give him your heart’s desires. Let him know your needs. He already knows them anyway. Then, walk in obedience and watch God work.

Have a great day with Jesus!

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Just yesterday, I wrote about how the name Yahweh Yireh causes you to trust. If you don’t know, when you are leading a spiritual lesson, you get put through a spiritual test. Because I was asking you to trust, I had to learn to trust.

Today, my precious husband went for a CT scan. We are praying it’s the last scan in this journey we have been on since November. Now we have to wait a week for the results. Of course, he asked the technician, like we all do, if they saw anything. The guy couldn’t or wouldn’t tell him anything.

But after the scan, my anxiety started to rise. The worry crept in. I could feel it rising from the pit of my stomach, up to my chest, then my throat. I stopped and prayed. I told the little black dot in my kitchen to turn on my worship music and started the kitchen cleaning and worship experience.

If you don’t know me that well, then you don’t know that I love music. I mean, I LOVE music. All kinds of music. And my kitchen—that is my sanctuary. That is the place where I sing at the top of my lungs, where I have poured out my heart and my tears to God on more than one occasion…a week.  That is where I meet God daily. And that is where he speaks to me, through music.

Wouldn’t you know the first song that came on says, “I trust in God, My Savior. The one who will never fail.” I stopped and giggled. I said, “Amy, you were just telling your group about trust. Here is where the road meets the pavement. You gotta trust.”

Then the next song, “Miracle after miracle, Open door after open door, Get ready because another one is on the way.”

Then I laughed. Anxiety put to rest. Trust restored. I know, my God’s got this. I don’t know what the results of the scan are. I don’t know if we are getting off the cancer roller coaster or if our trip is being extended. I don’t know if the “hairball,” as I like to call it, has grown or if it’s gone.

What I do know. God is good. God has a plan. And EVEN IF the scan isn’t what I want it to be, God is still good.

In the Bible, there is this little book called Daniel. There is a story about three guys, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These guys worshipped God despite the king demanding that all men bow down to him. They worshiped God in spite of the fear of being thrown into a fiery furnace. Their faith was so strong that they knew that our Yahweh Yireh would rescue them.

Daniel 3:16-18 “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”

When you are faced with trials of any kind, and you want God to provide, do you place the limitation of “I will praise you IF you provide for me,” or do you say, “I will praise you EVEN IF things don’t go my way”? Do you want your plan, or do you trust HIS plan?

What is your struggle, your “if-then” condition? If God does this, then I will do that. Will you stop today, take a breath, and say,

“Yahweh Yireh, I trust you enough, and I believe that you know all things, and you have a plan for me. This is my desire, and even if it doesn’t go my way, you are still good, and you still have me in the palm of your hand.”

I am praying for you all today, and I am hoping that you are loving being nestled up to God in this study and learning to lean into him in ways you never have before.

Have a great day with Jesus!

There is something special about this story of Abraham and Isaac. One that many don’t see.

Have you been told before that the Old Testament points to the New Testament? That if you look hard enough, you can see where God’s plan for salvation is already in play. From the beginning?

In Genesis 22:2, “Elohim said, Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I will show you.”

Do these words sound familiar yet?

Let me help.

Mark 1:10-11, “As Yeshua came out of the water, he saw heaven split open and the Spirit coming down to him as a dove. A voice from heaven said, “You are my Son, whom I love. I am pleased with you.”

God asked Abraham to take his only son, whom he loved, and offer him as a sacrifice.

There are only two times in scripture where God has asked for a human sacrifice. The first time was with Abraham and Isaac, which he did not accept and stopped. The second, and the only one he accepted, was Jesus on the cross. A sacrifice for us.

In Mark, God voices from heaven that Jesus is His son, whom he loves. In John 3:16, he says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son.”

God is asking Abraham to be a part of the foreshadowing of Jesus and his sacrifice on the cross.

I need a moment for that to set in.

Abraham’s faith had grown to the point that God was asking him to be a part of Jesus’ story. He was asking him to act out something that would take place YEARS later and be written about FOR US to read!

These words in scripture, these Bible stories, aren’t just ink on a page. They are a story of love. They are a history of stories showing how God acted, how he proved his faithfulness to his people, how he shows his grace and mercy, and how he plans to redeem us.

In the moment, Yahweh Yireh provided a ram as a substitute sacrifice for Abraham and Isaac, which told of the future sacrifice that Jesus would make for us on the cross.

Mt. Moriah, where they went to sacrifice Isaac and where Abraham proclaimed Yahweh Yireh, was likely a few hundred yards from Golgotha, where Jesus was sacrificed.

I can only imagine Abraham looking up from where the ram was offered and staring out over the mountainous terrain and lifting his eyes to Golgotha as the smoke still spiraled above and spoke the words, maybe even in a whispered tone, “Yahweh Yireh”.

I love seeing how God is working. I love knowing that he has a plan for me even when I can’t see. I trust in the fact that God will always provide for me even when I can’t fathom how it will happen.

God’s got this. God’s got you. God’s provisions are already in place. Rest in him today.

Have a great day with Jesus!

(I know I posted this morning, but God kept talking to me so I needed to share a little more of what was on my heart.)

Yahweh Yireh is the name we call on when we are in need. I know I have called on the name of Jehovah Jireh when the month was long and the money was short, when I was a single mom and the bills were just more than I could handle and I wasn’t sure how I was going to feed the two of us, and when there were things I needed and I just didn’t know how I would get them.

When you are calling on the name of Yahweh Yireh, you are placing trust, full trust, in God. I don’t know about you, but I only call out for help when I am desperate. When I am in need, and I have nowhere else to turn. I am not one who asks for help before things have moved to a dire state.

However, the beauty of Yahweh Yireh is that he already knows. He knew the need before you did. He isn’t withholding help from you; he just wants you to trust Him. He wants you to place the need at his feet and then leave it alone so that he can take care of it.

I think we can all learn from Abraham and Sarah in this name. We have seen how their faith has grown in our own studies from when they took matters into their own hands, and we learned the name El Roi, to when Abraham, again, rushed the process, and we learned the name El Shadday.

And now, we are here where Abraham, in faith, took Isaac up to the mountain. In faith, he only carried the wood and fire. In faith, he knew that God would provide for him EVEN THOUGH he didn’t know how.

Our Abraham, who previously was a ‘fix it myself’ kind of guy, is now a guy of “trusting God’s got this.”

I have read about Abraham a lot through growing up in church, going to a Christian school where I had Bible class every day, being raised in a home where we gathered to read the Bible every night, and having a dad who knows the Bible backwards, forwards, and inside out. However, I did not see the growth in Abraham until I studied these names and took the time to study and take a closer look at what was going on.

As I look back on my own life, I can see where I was a “fix-it-myself” kind of girl and where I am becoming a “God’s got this” kind of woman.

My faith journey is different than yours. I pray you are farther along in your journey than I, but if not, that is ok. Because we will all continue to grow in our faith until we meet Jesus face-to-face. Part of growing in faith is trusting in God. Not just for the little things but in all things.

Abraham knew that God would provide. His faith was so solid that even if he had to put a knife to flesh and take Isaac’s life, God would bring him back because of the promise that El Shadday had made to him.

What if today, we trusted in God’s promises? What if, today, we trusted that God is who he says he is? What if, today, we call on Yahweh Yireh, not out of desperation but out of comfort in knowing that he will provide all things at just the right time?

Yahweh Yireh means “The Lord Provides.” The Lord will provide for you if you place your trust in Him.

Have a great day with Jesus!

Last week, we studied El Olam, the everlasting God or Eternal God.

Abraham gave God this name after Isaac was born and after he made a treaty with Abimelech and Phicol. Abraham knew that our God’s promises were everlasting, they are eternal, and he saw the beginning of God’s promise being fulfilled through Isaac. 

Our everlasting God has no beginning and no end. 

What do you think of when you think of everlasting?

I know it can be hard to comprehend in our human minds, but I think of the ocean. Yes, I know it has a beginning and an end, but if you are standing on the beach, you cannot see how far it goes, and the waves do not stop.

How does God’s eternal nature relate to His promises?

We learned this week that El Olam transcends generations. So his promise to Abraham didn’t just end with Abraham; it went to his descendants. 

One of the verses that has the name El Olam in it is one that I love. Isaiah 40:28-29.

Don’t you know? Haven’t you heard? El Olam, Yahweh, the Creator of the ends of the earth, doesn’t grow tired or become weary. His understanding is beyond reach. He gives strength to those who grow tired and increases the strength of those who are weak.

What characteristics about God do you see in this verse?

I love that this verse highlights that God never rests. 

This week we will be studying Yahweh Yireh, or Jehovah Jireh, which means “The Lord Will Provide.” 

El Olam gives us hope. Yahweh Yireh gives us provisions.

This name is mentioned one time in scripture, again by Abraham, in Genesis 22:13-14

Has anyone noticed how many names we have studied so far that are related to Abraham?

El Olam was given to us approximately 3-5 years after Isaac was born. Now here we are with Abraham and Isaac about to go up a mountain where God has asked Abraham to sacrifice his son. Isaac was probably in his twenties at this point. Old enough to know what was going on. He is not the child that we see in our Bible storybooks. 

Starting in Genesis 22, in the story, you will notice that Abraham didn’t question God. He didn’t waver in responding. In fact, when God called out to him, Abraham said, “Here I am.”

God first called himself El Shadday to Abraham; Abraham named him El Olam in our study last week. Now our Almighty Everlasting God is testing Abraham by asking him to take his promised son, the one that all the many descendants will come, and sacrifice him.

Just want to pause for a moment and think on this. Abraham didn’t question God, but do you think Sarah did? Do you wonder if Abraham even told her?

We know from what we have studied so far that Abraham and Sarah both have a tendency to take matters into their own hands, and now they are blindly following God’s request to offer their son as a sacrifice, no questions asked. We can see from just the names of God and where they are found in scripture just how much Abraham’s faith has grown in a few short chapters. It has taken several years, but look at how he has grown in his faith. I don’t know about you, but that gives me encouragement.  

So God tells Abraham to go and take your son and sacrifice him. Early the next morning, Abraham takes Isaac and loads up the donkey with enough wood for a burnt offering and two servants, and they set off. On the third day Abraham saw the place that God told him about in the distance. 

This was not a quick journey. It was approximately 50-60 miles to Mt. Moriah. Abraham has known the plan for three days now and what he was about to do. He hasn’t mentioned to anyone what is about to happen. He has walked this route with the weight of knowing that he is about to offer his son as a sacrifice. I can’t imagine he had a pep in his step or was in a hurry to get to the place of sacrifice. Granted it was mountainous terrain, with a loaded down donkey, two servants, and Isaac, but still, there was an added weight in this journey. 

If it were me, I would be stating facts in my head. God doesn’t like human sacrifices. God said that this is the son that his promises would be fulfilled. God knows I love him. If I do kill my son in obedience, then surely El Shadday will raise him from the dead….

But there is no mention of Abraham’s inner monologue or any conversation on the trip. 

When Abraham sees the place where they are going, he loads up Isaac with the wood, and then he carries the fire and the knife. This is where Isaac notices that they are missing the lamb and asks Abraham, “Where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

Abraham replies, “The Lord will provide.” 

I know my 20-year-old son would not have accepted that answer without a lot of follow-up questions, but it is apparent that Isaac is leaning in to Abraham’s confidence in God’s provision. This tells me that the faith of Abraham has grown to the point that Isaac knows that he can trust his father, Abraham, as Abraham is trusting God.

Now, the way this story is told, I feel like we are missing out on so much. Abraham builds the altar, ties up Isaac, and lays him on it. No questions from either party, just quiet obedience. Isaac is big enough that he could probably land a solid punch on Abraham and run away, but he doesn’t. He just obeys. 

We know that Abraham believes in the promise that El Shadday gave him that he would be the father of many nations, and we know that Abraham knows that that will be through Isaac. Hebrews 11 tells us that (vs. 17) “by faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking, he did receive Isaac back from the dead.”

With that assurance, Abraham raised the knife to kill his son; the angel of the LORD stopped him and said, “I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

This is when Abraham looks up and sees the ram. 

It is after the ram has been sacrificed that Abraham names the place Yahweh Yireh/The Lord Will Provide.

We have watched Abraham grow in our studies. We have seen how he has questioned God. How Sarah laughed at becoming a mom at 99. We have seen how both Abraham and Sarah have not waited on God but taken matters into their own hands and made a mess of things.  And now we see Abraham take a huge step of faith and willful obedience in God’s testing of his faith.

How often, when we are tested, do we jump to complain? Do we try to solve things on our own? Is there a time when you can say, “I was tested, and I waited for God”?

God’s provision is given when we trust. His provision is never late. It is always on time.

It is in the times of testing that we grow in our character and in who God is calling us to be.

What is it that you need God to provide for you?

Is there a time when you have seen God show up? Can anyone share?

This week, I want you to consider a future worry you have. Maybe it’s who your children will marry, if they will ever potty train, or maybe it’s something God has asked you to do, but you’re unsure of what that looks like or how it will happen. Then I want you to consider your past. How has God provided for you in the past or in the present? 

Once you consider that, how can the God of your past provision not show up for your future ones?

His faithfulness will always prevail. Our God, who has always been, will always provide.

Have a great day with Jesus!

As we wrap up the week on El Olam, our Eternal God, I wanted to share a thought from my personal study.

I have been reading through the Bible again, which is always such a blessing when I do. If you haven’t taken the time to read through the Bible, let me encourage you to do so. Find a plan, any plan, and commit to reading a few chapters a day. You will be so blessed. I am currently doing the Bible Recap on the Bible App; it is a chronological plan, and the leader has some great insights. But if all you can do is one chapter a night, do that. We encouraged our son to read one chapter a night when he was in high school. It took him a while, but he did it, and I can see a difference in him from when he started.

Anyway, in my reading this morning, I was reading about Moses. That man had the patience of a saint because I know there are several times in the story where I would have thrown my hands up and just told the Children of Israel to figure it out because I was done with them.

Now Moses had a tent that was called the “Tent of Meeting.” He would pitch this tent outside of the camp, and he would go into this tent and talk to God. Face to face. Not really “face to face” because no one can look on God’s face and live, but he would spend time with God there. Think of what we now call a “War Room,” thanks to a popular movie a few years ago.

The children had decided that they needed an idol, and they just made a mess of things. God, the Father, was upset with them. Rightfully so. (I can see this story playing out in my own parenting.) God said, “Y’all can go to the promised land, but I’m not taking you there. Good luck; I’m done with your foolishness.”

(Forgive my southern interpretation and loose paraphrasing of scripture.)

Moses talked to God and reminded God of his promise that he would be with them in this journey. Moses said, “If you don’t go, then we aren’t going either. How will people know we are set apart if you aren’t with us?”

This is where I paused. (Ex. 33:17) Yahweh said, “I will do what you have asked, because I am pleased with you, and I KNOW YOU BY NAME.”

This is why we are studying His names, because we want to know HIM by name and for HIM to know us. It’s called a relationship.

Moses wanted to see God’s face. God told him to meet him on a rocky cliff, and when he passed by, he would cover Moses with his hand, and after he passed, he would allow Moses to see his back because if he saw his ‘face,’ he would surely die. Moses did this, and when he came down from the mountain, his face glowed. His face was shining so much that he had to wear a veil when he talked to the people.

Can you imagine a relationship so strong with God that you shone, like physically had a glow about you? Or what if you were so intune with God that people “felt” the presence of God when you were around? Have you ever felt the presence of God in a worship service? (I have, and it’s amazing and intense.)

Our God, our Elohim, is inviting us, you and me, into that kind of relationship. El Olam assures us that this relationship isn’t just “a seasonal” type of relationship. He is here for the long haul, and if you know him, you get to live with him for eternity!

John 3:16 (say it with me): “For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Only the Eternal God can promise eternal life!

1 John 5:11: “This is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is found in his Son. (vs. 20) We know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we know the real God. We are in the one who is real, His Son Yeshua Christ. This Yeshua Christ is the real God and eternal life.”

I have loved learning about El Olam and His eternal nature this week. It has both challenged me and brought me reassurance.

(Side note: something I started a few years ago but made a conscious effort to implement is whenever I am faced with things, whether it be a broken plate, mess, disagreement, or just life stuff, I approach it with these words, “in the light of eternity.”

Did the thing matter “in the light of eternity“? If not, then I tried to let it go. If it did, then I faced it with scripture. What I have found is that there are a lot of things that truly don’t matter on the grander scale. I can protect my peace when I am not worried about the junk, and I focus more on the eternal. Maybe that will help someone. I just felt spurred to share.)

Be blessed today, stay warm, and have a great day with Jesus!

What is God revealing to you this week as you learn about El Olam?

Many of you know that we have had to face a pretty big health scare recently with my husband. We go next week for another scan. We are praying hard that his lung is clear and no further test will be needed.

Through all this, God has taught me about hope. I have been through some storms in my life, but none have been a serious health scare. This storm has terrified me to the core. It has shaken me, brought tears to my eyes, but it has also taught me to rely on prayer and the support that others have given me.

El Olam is our Everlasting God. Romans 15:13 says, “May God, the source of hope, fill you with joy and peace through your faith in him. Then you will overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

God is our source of hope. Even on days when I don’t feel like I have any hope left. But God. God shows up. God shows me that my hope is in him. Regardless of what happens, God has me. God has this sickness.

Be at peace, my sisters; God has you in the palm of His hand. He is holding you. He is with you. He has you in the pit, on the mountaintop, in the late nights up with sick kids, in the rejoicing of a new job, in the worry of a negative bank account. No matter what it is, God is your everlasting hope.

Put your faith in him today and rejoice in His peace.

Have a great day with Jesus!