YAHWEH

Yahweh is the name of God.  Unlike the other names we have studied during this series, it is not a descriptive one but is His own name, I AM.  As pastor Harry expressed to us this past Sunday by reading Exodus 3:13-14 Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM sent me to you.”  

The meaning of God’s response to Moses may not be as clear to us as it was to Moses and the Israelites but what is clear is that He is the One who exists eternally, who never had a beginning, who never has an ending. Pastor Harry covered this infinite presence, along with His unchanging character (everything about God’s character that never changes is absolute truth) and His transcendence (the willingness to be intimately engaged with our lives and yet be infinitely beyond our comprehension, simultaneously).  He is constant, independent, truth, love, light, life, beauty, perfection, holiness, joy – He is everything.  This is Yahweh, and He is also the Lord Jesus Christ.

As we worshipped through group prayers following the sermon on Sunday, I couldn’t help but be mentally reminded of Psalm 103, which leads us into further worship when it says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul”, calling us to speak to God in ways which gives Him honor and glory, describing His majesty.  It’s where worship starts.  It is a quiet worship, one that silently starts from the heart, bubbling over as it reflects on God, His character and the salvation He has provided. Focusing only on Him in those moments, eliminating all external distraction, feels pure and true, resulting in joy, knowing the hope within us is solely from Him, with gratitude for the saving grace only He provides.  The rest of that verse “and all that is within me” perfectly describes that worship.