Jehovah-Shammah (Lord Who Is Present)

Jehovah-Shammah (Lord Who Is Present)

Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you, he will never leave you nor forsake you. (NIV)

            The true prophets of old had a difficult task. They had the responsibility of giving the word of God to the people even when it was very unpopular. Unlike many modern day self-proclaimed prophets, they were not in the regular practice of promising such things as promotions, houses, chariots, gold and silver or even status, but the word that they had to deliver mostly dealt with the sins of the people and God’s call for repentance. God did, however, allow the prophets to give them a word of hope in regards to restoration if they would repent and turn from their wicked ways. Jeremiah was such a prophet who was chosen by God to deliver words of warnings to the people. However, God promised Jeremiah that He would always be present because Jeremiah’s words would not always be accepted amongst the people. Jeremiah 1:8 “Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord. (NIV) God assured Jeremiah that he would be with him through it all; He does the same thing today for all His children.

            Jehovah-Shammah (Lord who is Present) is never absent from His children. He doesn’t have business hours of 9-5 nor does He close on weekends and holidays. God is always there even when we as humans sometimes feel alone. In the midst of quietness is where we are oftentimes able to feel His presence the most. Regardless of the time of day, or by night, you can always count on God to be present. Exodus 33:14 The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” (NIV)

            The Prophet Elijah went through a time of despair after having battled the priests of Baal and having run in fear for his life, due to Queen Jezebel’s threats of harm. He was depressed and longed for death, but God was with him and even sent an angel to feed him. Elijah felt alone, but God let him know that he was never alone. 1 Kings 19:10-12 ⁽¹⁰⁾He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” ⁽¹¹⁾The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. ⁽¹²⁾After the wind there was an earthquake, but the lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. (NIV) Elijah was looking for God in one way, but God came together in an all different way.

            Jehovah-Shammah does not always come in the way that we want Him to. Nevertheless, He is always present in our lives. We must forever trust in Him and in His ways for His presence is made known even in the smallest of things. Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (NIV) Jehovah-Shammah loves His children and we are always to remember that we are children of the King. Just as a good parent would never leave their child unguarded, our Heavenly Father would never leave His children to fend for themselves. His presence surrounds us at all times.