Devo Day 3: What's in a name...

Reference:
Exodus 3:13-14

13 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”

14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

Proverbs 18:10

10 The name of the LORD is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.

(New International Version, ©2011, http://www.biblegateway.com/)

Thoughts:

I like to know the real names of celebrities. It makes them “real people” again. Some are a little shocking, making me wonder what in the world their parents were thinking!!! Some are a little humorous, so I get a good giggle. Kirk Douglas, for example, is really Issur Danielovitch Demsky. I can’t even begin to pronounce that. There’s one that’s been fascinating to watch over the years. He’s a popular rap artist. Over the course of his career, he’s been “Diddy”, “P. Diddy”, “Puff Daddy”, “Puffy”, and the latest one, “Dirty Money” and/or “P. Diddy Dirty Money”. Ummm…WHAT?? I makes me wonder if he even knows who he really is any more. Interestingly, in a recent song he writes about how frustrating it has been to find that it’s easier for him to be his celebrity identity than his true self…Sean John Combs.

Well, for all the names that God calls Himself in the Bible, there isn’t one that is a lie. Not one. He…is…His…name. He doesn’t have an identity crisis going on…“I am Who I am!” In fact, His name is even something we can stand on and in, firmly setting our identity and our circumstances there. When He is called Jehovah-Shalom (The Lord is Peace), He is who He is. When He is called El-Roi (The Strong One Who Sees), He is who He is. He is also Alpha and Omega (The Beginning and the End), Jehovah-Jireh (The God Who Provides), Abba (Daddy)…

Reflection:

What is a name for God that you find difficult to trust? Bring that to Him and begin the journey to knowing “I am Who I am!”

Optional Song: “You are Holy” by Michael W. Smith