I’ve heard numerous sermons on the various names of God (e.g. El Shaddai, Adonai, Immanuel, Jehovah…), and I sense that the motivation for such teachings isn’t just to make us aware that the Bible refers to God in various ways, but to bring us to an understanding that each of these names reveals an aspect of who God is and the role He means to play in our lives.
He not only came to save us from an eternity in hell, He also came to be “Jehovah-Jireh”, the Lord who provides for us, and “Jehovah-Rophi”, the Lord who heals us and “Jehovah-Shalom”, the Lord who is our peace…
These messages challenge us to ponder whether our relationship with the Lord encompasses these various facets of His being, and as I’ve examined my own walk, it hasn’t been hard to find areas where my experience has been very limited. To answer the question of how well we “know God”, I thought of an analogy that might help in arriving at a worthwhile conclusion.
When I was in Junior High, my mother talked my brother and me into taking typing class. She said that this would be valuable later in life, though I’m not sure that either of us was convinced of that. As with so many other things we were told back then, this proved to be wise guidance.
When personal computers emerged I wasn’t quick to jump on the bandwagon, but eventually I was introduced to them at work. For the first couple of years I only used them for word processing and I was satisfied with that (I liked that it allowed me to correct my mistakes before printing a page). Even then computers were capable of a great deal more than simple word processing, but that was the only experience that I had at the time. If you had asked me, do you know computers, I would have said, “Yes I use them at work”.
Today, I rely on the computer a lot more, with e-mail, the internet, digital pictures, music…, so you could again ask, “Do you know computers” and again, I would reply, “sure I know computers”.
But have I really even begun to scratch the surface of what a computer is capable of? I may know more than I used to, but if I’m honest that knowledge is still pretty superficial and pedestrian.
As is my understanding of computers, so is my knowledge of God. “Do I know Him?” Sure, I know Him as my Savior and Lord, I sense His presence in my day-to-day, I hear Him in my prayers… The question is have I accessed Him as my peace, as my provision, as my healer…?
The life and death of Jesus Christ was meant to afford me much more than a great “after-life”; He paid the price for the abundant life today (i.e. here on earth). I’m convinced that if I really knew those aspects of God, my life would look a lot different.
There have been whole doctrines developed to suggest that God doesn’t work that way anymore, but Gods word says that He is the same yesterday, today and forever. If He was the God who heals 2000 years ago, He is that same God today; if He was the God of recompenses 2000 years ago, He is that same God today; if He was the God who provides 2000 years ago, He is that same God today.
Maybe the reason that the church in America doesn’t bear much resemblance to the “glorious bride” of Christ described in scripture is because we haven’t come to “know” our God in the way that we need to.
Like with my computer, I have only accessed Him as my situation has dictated and I’ve not yet begun to tap into the true potential of this relationship. That understanding makes me yearn to know Him more.
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Bjcorbin's Blog 
Computer Literate
Posted in Commentaries, tagged access, Adonai, computer, El Shaddai, facets, Jehovah Jireh, Jehovah Rophi, Jehovah Shalom, know Him on May 8, 2024| Leave a Comment »
I’ve heard numerous sermons on the various names of God (e.g. El Shaddai, Adonai, Immanuel, Jehovah…), and I sense that the motivation for such teachings isn’t just to make us aware that the Bible refers to God in various ways, but to bring us to an understanding that each of these names reveals an aspect of who God is and the role He means to play in our lives.
He not only came to save us from an eternity in hell, He also came to be “Jehovah-Jireh”, the Lord who provides for us, and “Jehovah-Rophi”, the Lord who heals us and “Jehovah-Shalom”, the Lord who is our peace…
These messages challenge us to ponder whether our relationship with the Lord encompasses these various facets of His being, and as I’ve examined my own walk, it hasn’t been hard to find areas where my experience has been very limited. To answer the question of how well we “know God”, I thought of an analogy that might help in arriving at a worthwhile conclusion.
When I was in Junior High, my mother talked my brother and me into taking typing class. She said that this would be valuable later in life, though I’m not sure that either of us was convinced of that. As with so many other things we were told back then, this proved to be wise guidance.
When personal computers emerged I wasn’t quick to jump on the bandwagon, but eventually I was introduced to them at work. For the first couple of years I only used them for word processing and I was satisfied with that (I liked that it allowed me to correct my mistakes before printing a page). Even then computers were capable of a great deal more than simple word processing, but that was the only experience that I had at the time. If you had asked me, do you know computers, I would have said, “Yes I use them at work”.
Today, I rely on the computer a lot more, with e-mail, the internet, digital pictures, music…, so you could again ask, “Do you know computers” and again, I would reply, “sure I know computers”.
But have I really even begun to scratch the surface of what a computer is capable of? I may know more than I used to, but if I’m honest that knowledge is still pretty superficial and pedestrian.
As is my understanding of computers, so is my knowledge of God. “Do I know Him?” Sure, I know Him as my Savior and Lord, I sense His presence in my day-to-day, I hear Him in my prayers… The question is have I accessed Him as my peace, as my provision, as my healer…?
The life and death of Jesus Christ was meant to afford me much more than a great “after-life”; He paid the price for the abundant life today (i.e. here on earth). I’m convinced that if I really knew those aspects of God, my life would look a lot different.
There have been whole doctrines developed to suggest that God doesn’t work that way anymore, but Gods word says that He is the same yesterday, today and forever. If He was the God who heals 2000 years ago, He is that same God today; if He was the God of recompenses 2000 years ago, He is that same God today; if He was the God who provides 2000 years ago, He is that same God today.
Maybe the reason that the church in America doesn’t bear much resemblance to the “glorious bride” of Christ described in scripture is because we haven’t come to “know” our God in the way that we need to.
Like with my computer, I have only accessed Him as my situation has dictated and I’ve not yet begun to tap into the true potential of this relationship. That understanding makes me yearn to know Him more.
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