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Before Us and Behind Us, With Us and In Us
As an army travels, its battle standard goes before them. But when the commander prepares to retreat, he places the standard where his troops are to gather. At the battle standard, we find refuge from the battle. Our Yahweh Nissi, the Lord our Banner, keeps us safe through trials. The Name of Yahweh is a strong tower. The righteous run to it and are safe [set on high.] Proverbs 18:10 The Bible is full of battle imagery. Why? Because this life is a spiritual battle. Yahweh Nissi only appears once (Exodus 17:15), but נֵס (nes) occurs 20 times in the Old Testament. It’s translated standard, banner, ensign, or pole. Time…
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Lift High the Lord, Our Banner!
Moses built an altar and called it Yahweh Nissi. He said, “Because a hand was lifted against Yah’s throne, Yahweh will be at war against the Amalekites from one generation to the next.” Exodus 17:15-16 This is the only mention of Yahweh Nissi in the Bible. What’s the context? As you read Exodus, you see a them in the people’s attitude. “The people grumbled . . . The people quarreled . . . The people complained . . .” Every time the people faced a challenge, they complained. Bitterly. Not some anonymous complaint to HR or grumbling around the water fountain. They hurled accusations at Moses. Did you bring us…
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When the Healer Says No
Why would a post about Yahweh’s power to heal feature a picture of a cemetery? Because sometimes when we pray, He says, “No,” or, “Not the way you expected.” There’s no getting around it. Barring the Rapture, we’re all going to die. A pastor once said, “We’re all dying. Some are just dying faster than others.” And that’s okay. It’s better than okay. It’s good news. We’re not supposed to live forever in these bodies. Why? Because so long as we’re trapped in our mortal body, we can’t go to our forever home. When the Lord cursed the ground in Genesis 3, He was making a way for us to…
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When I called on Yahweh Rophe
Our son had an eventful start. He was born prematurely, and at one point, he wasn’t expected to make it. I begged Yahweh Rophe to heal him. We were living in Bolivia. From the start, my pregnancy was an adventure. I started bleeding at about 9 weeks, so I went in for an ultrasound. (I had to walk through tear gas to get to the appointment. Bolivia was going through a lot of upheaval back then, so demonstrations, blockades, tear gas, and rubber bullets were pretty common. Little did I know that it was a pretty common thing for professors to demonstrate during the noon hour at the Plaza del…
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Yahweh Rophe – Yahweh Heals
Oh Yahweh, my Elohim, I cried out to you for help, and you healed me. – Psalm 30:2 (Names of God version) Can I admit something? I’ve been dreading this week. Because our God is Yahweh Rophe. He heals. But He doesn’t always do it on our timetable or to our liking. And that’s okay. Because He’s God, and I’m not. So if this name makes you uncomfortable, bear with me. Yahweh first reveals Himself as Healer in Exodus 15:26. He said, “If you will listen carefully to Yahweh your Elohim and do what he considers right, if you pay attention to his commands and obey all his laws, I will never make you…
