Hallelujah!

 Hallelujah 

March 9, 2025

  Psalms 150 (CJB)

1 Halleluyah!

Praise God in his holy place!

Praise him in the heavenly dome of his power!

2 Praise him for his mighty deeds!

Praise him for his surpassing greatness!

3 Praise him with a blast on the shofar!

Praise him with lute and lyre!

4 Praise him with tambourines and dancing!

Praise him with flutes and strings!

5 Praise him with clanging cymbals!

Praise him with loud crashing cymbals!

6 Let everything that has breath praise ADONAI!

Halleluyah!

h1984b. הָלַל halal; a prim. root; to be boastful, to priase:--

h3050. יָהּ Yah; contr. from 3068; the name of the God of Israel:--

Spoken together, these words are Hallelujah, Praise the Lord!

Revelation 19:1-6 - The Fourfold Hallelujah (NASB)

1 After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying,

“Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God; 2 BECAUSE HIS JUDGMENTS ARE TRUE AND RIGHTEOUS; for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, and HE HAS AVENGED THE BLOOD OF HIS BOND-SERVANTS ON HER.” 3 And a second time they said, “Hallelujah! HER SMOKE RISES UP FOREVER AND EVER.” 4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!” 5 And a voice came from the throne, saying,

“Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great.” 6 Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying,

“Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.

We have been talking about the names of God, but another Hebrew word that has always intrigued me is Hallelujah. I have heard it said that that is one word that is most useful to missionaries because it is understood in almost every language of the world. In English, it can be translated as “Praise the Lord”, but if you shout “Hallelujah” everyone knows what you mean.

I think it is interesting that the book of Psalms ends with the great hallelujah. Every verse in that Psalm begins with Hallelujah, Praise the Lord. It is the summation of all the praise and worship of the Psalms, when all is said and done, the most important thing left is just to say “Hallelujah!”.

The New Testament also wraps up with a fourfold Hallelujah in Revelation 19. This is  brief look into heaven where we see the great multitude of saints and angels surrounding the thrown saying “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God!”. It is our highest purpose and ultimate destiny to worship the Lord in heaven. “Hallelujah! For the Lord, our God, the Almighty reigns!”. “Let everything that has breath shout Halleluhjah!”

The Lord is My Shepherd

 The Lord is My Shepherd 

March 7, 2025

Psalms 23

1 The LORD is my shepherd ^h7462a,

I shall not want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside quiet waters.

3 He restores my soul;

He guides me in the paths of righteousness

For His name’s sake.

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I fear no evil, for You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You have anointed my head with oil;

My cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,

And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

h7462a. רָעָה raah; a prim. root; to pasture, tend, graze:--

John 10:11

11 “I am the good shepherd; the goodshepherd lays down His life for the sheep.

As we consider the names of God, we come to Jehovah Raah, The Lord is my Shepherd. This speaks of the care and concern that the Lord has for each of us. The twenty third Psalm expresses this beautifully and thus is one of everyone’s favorites. I’m sure it was one of the first Psalms I memorized in Sunday School as a small child. I remember reciting it often, and we also had a painting of the Good Shepherd on the wall of our Sunday School classroom. This particular copy of that famous religious painting was a memorial to one of my Sunday School teachers who died tragically, trapped in her car in a snow storm one winter. She was a young lady who represented the Lord’s love and concern for me, so her accident was a tragedy in my young life and the image of the Good Shepherd was powerfully etched in my mind.

Jesus applied this name to himself in John 10; “I am the Good Shepherd”. By this, He not only identified identified himself with the Lord God, but also with King David, who wrote Psalm 23 and who represented the kingly shepherds of the nation of Israel. But unlike the kings of old, Jesus was the good shepherd who layed down his life for the sheep. Such powerful love has been shown by no other king or leader. How can we comprehend the love that the Lord has for us that He not only provides for our care and comfort, but actually lays down His life for us so that we can be redeemed and live with Him forever? 

My cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life,

And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Amen

The Lord My Healer

 The Lord My Healer

 March 6, 2025

Exodus 15:26

26 And He said, “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to Hiscommandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the LORD, am your healer ^h7495.”

h7495. רָפָא rapha; a prim. root; to heal:

There has been much talk in the news lately about Make America Healthy Again (MAHA). This is all well and good, but we would all be much healthier if we would do what the people of God were instructed to do in Exodus 15; obey the voice of the Lord, do good and listen to His commandments. Then have faith in God and call upon Him to be Jehovah Rapha, The Lord your healer.

I know there is an ongoing debate among the faithful about how much to rely on modern medicine and how much to just trust the Lord for healing. Personally, I don’t think there is a conflict as long as you trust in the Lord first, and then use good judgement to use the best nutrition and medical means available to stay healthy. The Lord can heal any condition, but sometimes He uses medical doctors to accomplish His will. That being said, we must trust in the Lord first, and not listen to everything that the doctors say. Though well meaning, modern doctors tend to be nay sayers and always have the most negative prognosis available. The Lord is a Lord of hope, and He is a healer, so He has the last word on our wellbeing. Remember that Jesus healed all that came to Him:

Matthew 4:24

24 The news about Him spread throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them.

So whatever your problem, take it to Jesus, the Lord your healer. Do what He tells you to do and then call upon Him to heal you.

The Lord is Peace

 The Lord is Peace

March 5, 2025

Judges 6:24a

24 Then Gideon built an altar there to the LORD and named it The LORD is Peace ^h7965

h7965. שָׁלוֹם shalom; completeness, soundness, welfare, peace:

Today, let us look at another name of God, The Lord is Peace (Shalom). Peace is something that we all seek, but the Hebrew Shalom is more than just an absence of conflict. Shalom is completeness, soundness, welfare and peace. Yesterday, we talked about not being anxious because the Lord would provide of everything you need. Trusting in that promise brings us peace. Resting in the promises of God brings us to a place of perfect peace where we don’t need to worry about anything.

John 14:26-27

26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all thatI said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.

In John’s gospel, he records where Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to teach and guide us. Thus the Lord of Peace now resides within us when we receive the Holy Spirit. Jesus says this is not a peace like those in the world would have, but is a perfect peace that drives out all fear and anxiety. The world promises peace when you find a partner that makes you happy, or says you can have peace if you take the right drugs. The world’s peace is a false promise and only numbs the pain of life’s problems. When you accept the Lord’s peace into your heart, you can truly be free from the worry about all these things. It’s not that you will have no further problems, but you will have the peace that the Lord is in control and will work all these things for good in the end. So “do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” Shalom, Shalom.  Peace upon peace.

The Lord our Provider

 The Lord Our Provider

March 4, 2025

Genesis 22:14 (NASB95)

Abraham called the name of that place The LORD Will Provide¹, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the LORD it will be provided.”

¹Hebrew: YHWH-jireh

Matthew 6:25-26

25 “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to whatyou will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?

Matthew 6:31-33

31 Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32 For the Gentiles eagerly seekall these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

We have been speaking about the Name of Jesus, considering that every aspect of the Godhead is encompassed in His name. Today, let us look at the aspect of provision. One name for the Lord in the Old Testament is Jehovah Jireh, The Lord will Provide. We see this in Genesis 22 where the Lord provided a ram for the sacrifice as a substitute for Abraham’s son, Isaac. This is a foreshadowing of the greatest substitution, where the Lord provided Jesus, the Lamb of God, as a sacrifice to atone for our sins. The Lord always has a plan to provide for everything that is needed to fulfill His plans.

Throughout the Old Testament, we see where time and time again, the Lord provided for HIs people;  manna in the desert, water from a rock, and a promised land flowing with milk and honey. In the New Testament, we see in Matthew 6 where Jesus teaches about the Lord providing for all of our needs. He provides for the birds of the air so he will provide everything we need. The bottom line here is, do not worry, seek firsthand His kingdom and everything you need will be provided to you.

I can certainly testify from my own experience that this is true. Having sought to serve the Lord for over fifty years, I can say that I and my family have never wanted for anything that we truly needed. This is the definition of being rich, which says that you have all you need with a little left over to help someone else. I have not always been a generous man, but I have learned over the years that true blessings come by sharing with others. My biggest lesson in this regard was in retiring. Planning for retirement, I worried about how we would make it without a working income, but once I took the step and retired, I learned that the Lord provided for us abundantly, more than enough to provide for our needs, but also time and treasure to use to help others. While I was working, I tended to rely upon myself for provision, but in retirement I finally learned to rely on the Lord. “Seek first His kingdom of His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Jehovah Jireh, the Lord will Provide.

Name of the Lord- Protector

 The Name of the Lord- Protector

March 3, 2025

Yesterday we were talking about the Name of Jesus as the key to prayer. Today let us examine the Name of the Lord is a strong tower, a refuge and protector in the storm.

Proverbs 18:10 (NASB95) 

Thename of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous runs into it and is safe.

Psalm 18:2 (NASB95)

2The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Psalm 27:1 (NASB95)

1 A Psalm of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?

I once knew a young lady that was a new christian. One night she was walking alone in a big city and became fearful. She knew there was some scripture about being sheltered under His wing, but couldn’t remember the verse exactly, so she kept crying out, “I’m covered with feathers, I’m covered with feathers!”. And no one bothered her. The exact verse is found in Psalm 91.

Psalms 91:1-4 (NASB95) 

1He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!” 3 For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper And from the deadly pestilence. 4 He will cover you with His pinions, And under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.

In the Old Testament , the image of God’s protection is that of a strong tower, a fortress, a stronghold, a place of refuge. The picture here is of a place safe from your enemies, a place where you can be secure from the storm. There are storms in life and we need a place we can run to seek shelter. There are forces of evil around us that would try to take our peace, but the Lord provides a stronghold in His Name to protect us from all evil. The Name of the Lord is a great comfort us in times of trouble.  In the New Testament however, the imagery is more intimate.

Romans 8:15 (NASB95)

For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”

In the New Covenant, we find that the Name of the Lord is not only a strong tower, but the love of God is so strong for us, that He delivers us from all spirits of fear and adopts us as sons. In response we cry out “Abba, Father!”. There is nothing to fear when you are encompassed by the arms of your loving Father. The name of the Lord as Abba, Father is a stronghold, not made with stones but is constructed of the Father’s love. As the old hymn put it, we are “Safe and secure from all alarm, Standing on the promises of God.”

So whatever storms you may be facing today, be secure in the knowledge that you can call upon the Name of the Lord and be safe. He is a loving Father and His arms shelter you from all enemies, pestilence and fear. No matter the problem, we can cry “Abba, Father” and be safe and secure.

The Name of Jesus

 The Name of Jesus

March 2, 2025

John 1:1-5

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things cameinto being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

Revelation 1:8

8 “I am the Alpha andthe Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Revelation 3:7b

He who is holy, who istrue, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this:

Revelation 3:14b

The Amen, the faithful andtrue Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this:

The Apostle John knew who Jesus was, and knew the power of His name. He opens up his gospel and his revelation with a powerful declaration of who Jesus is. He is the Word, He is the beginning and the end, He is the light of men, He is alpha and omega, he is the Holy One, He is the Almighty, He is the Amen, He is the faithful and true witness, and on and on… Why does he open his writings with such an introduction of the names of Jesus? He wants his readers to understand who Jesus is and that there is power in the name of Jesus. The name of Jesus encompasses all that He is. When we invoke the name of Jesus, we invoke the power and majesty and authority of Jesus the King, the beginning of all creation. Jesus himself teaches us to pray in His name.

John 16:23-24

23 In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. 24 Until nowyou have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.

Jesus is power and authority, and when we pray in the name of Jesus, that power and authority Is available to us for healing, deliverance, and answers to all sorts of prayers. Praying in the name of Jesus is more than a formula, where we end our prayers “in the name of Jesus, Amen.” It is calling on the promise of Jesus to answer our prayers with all His power and authority. There are books written about the names of of Jesus and so I can’t include all of that here, but let me simply say that the key to seeing answers to prayer is the name of Jesus. All that He is and all that He represents and all the power and authority that he possesses is bound up in His name, so the can be expressed and released when we pray in the name of Jesus.