Understanding Jehovah
It is God’s will for you to go through the trial that you are going through.
Yes ma’am, you read that correctly. But hear me out…
If you were not in the trial you are in, you would never learn to truly depend on Jesus. You would not know what it means to fall to your knees, cry out to God for help, and have Him wrap His loving arms around you.
You would not know what it means to search for His will during this trying time, and therefore, create a deeper relationship with Him.
Way-Maker
You would not know God as the Way-Maker, as the Bible speaks about in Isaiah 43:19 “Behold, I will do a new thing; it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.”
I’m sure you’ve heard it before, the saying: “He made a way when there seemed to be no way”. I think many times people use that as a filler. But when you are in the thick of the trial, you will find the Way-Maker! This is not just a cliché saying. This is real life. This is who He is.
- If you are going through financial issues and you’re not quite sure where the money will come from…look towards the hills where your help comes from.
- If you’re having problems on your job that you absolutely have no control over, give it to God.
- There may be issues with your family and it looks like the outcome will be grim, hold on.
The Way-Maker is about to step into your situation and provide an outcome that you didn’t think possible. Even when you don’t see it, even when you don’t feel it, God is working.
That…is knowing God as the Mighty Way-Maker.
Jehovah-Jirah
You would not know Him as Jehovah-Jirah, the Lord who Provides, as told about in Genesis 22:12-14. “Do not lay a hand on the boy, he said. Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son. Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”
I can think of many things that the Lord has provided for me, even when I didn’t ask for it.
A beautiful home, a nice vehicle to drive, food on the table, nice clothes and shoes to wear, a beautiful family, being able to go on nice vacations…I could go on, and on, and on. Those are things that sometimes, in the rush of everyday life, we may take for granted.
But to truly know Jehovah-Jirah, we may have to go through certain trials to understand the depth of the Provider. Whether it be a spiritual, emotional, mental or physical need of provision, remember what Abraham went through when he took his only son on the mountain as a sacrfice. Remember how God provided for him, just in the nick of time. He will do the same for you.
He loves you and He will provide your needs.
Jehovah-Rapha
Would you understand to know Him as Jehovah-Rapha, the Lord who Heals? Exodus 15:26. “And said, if thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.”
His Word says that by His stripes we are healed. 1 Peter 2:24 “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” He is the mighty Healer.
Oh, how I know the Mighty Healer personally. God has healed my body many times, and I’m thankful for that. But there are two specific times in my life that I went through long trials dealing with my health. In these trials is when I personally knew my God as Jehovah-Rapha.
I remember falling on my knees in my bedroom crying out in pain. And I remember in that instance when God wrapped His loving arms around me and gave me strength.
Healing can be a process, or it can be instantaneous. Do not get discouraged if you cannot see or feel a change in your body, or in the body of a loved one. God can change the circumstances in an instant.
When I found out that I was expecting a child, I had NO idea what was in the making. Just because I did not feel, see or hear what I was looking for did not mean that it wasn’t in the making. Just learn to trust God in those times.
Jehovah-Shalom
Or perhaps, you would not know Him as Jehovah-Shalom, the Prince of Peace, as spoken of in Judges 6:23-24 “And the Lord said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: though shalt not die. Then Gideon built an altar there unto the Lord, and called it Jehovahshalom.”
You would not know what it means to call on Him in desperation for direction and to feel the peace that you need in that moment. To hear His voice directing the very steps that you need to take.
Philippians 4:7 says “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Transcends means to go beyond the range or limits of. To surpass.
The peace of God goes beyond our human limits of comprehension. When we cannot fathom what is taking place in our lives at the moment, that’s when Jehovah-Shalom steps in and takes control.
He will give a beautiful peace that passes any understanding that we may have.
If you’ve ever been to the point in your life when you say to yourself “I just don’t understand this”, you don’t have to, and sometimes you aren’t supposed to. Lean on God and allow Him to bring peace into the situation.
The Lord told us in Jeremiah 33:3 “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” The Lord instructs us in His Word to call upon Him. In His time, in His plan, He will show us great and mighty things.
God wants you to learn to lean on Him. By submitting to Him through the fiery trial, you are showing a level of trust that you would not have known before. How many times have you prayed for something and it did not happen, yet, you still believed? Trust during the trial is what He wants you to find.
How precious it is to know that it is written in 2 Corinthians 12:9 “And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
It is because of going through specific trials that I understand God more completely than I ever have. He has shown me that there is nothing impossible for Him. I believe because of that, I am not afraid to ask for bigger things. I am not afraid to ask of the Lord to bring forth my outrageous dreams…because I know that He can.
The trial that you are going through isn’t for naught. There will be a purpose to your pain and an ending to this trial one day. But please, learn to find Jehovah in the midst! He is there with open arms and ready to guide your path.
