Daily Thoughts about God

“The name of the LORD is a strong tower, the righteous run to it and are safe.” Proverbs 18:10

She had no idea what her friend meant. Just how does one “call on the name of the Lord”? As she faced this new challenge she knew she needed God’s help in her life. Yet how could the name of the Lord help her?

Like a many-sided diamond, the name of the LORD reflects His power and majesty with a depth and clarity that we sometimes miss. The Bible says “The name of the LORD is a strong tower, the righteous run to it and are safe.” (Proverbs 18:10)

As we praise God for who He is, He will begin to change who we are. The reality of His presence will impact our circumstances and our lives in fresh ways.

I think of it as taking the reality of our circumstances and covering them over with the truth and majesty of God’s name. Like this …

Are you in a time of transition? He is called Changeless (Malachi 3:6)

Lord, You alone know how the changes in my life challenge me and how uncertainty effects me. I praise you that You never change. You are the same yesterday and today and forever. Help me to remember Your faithfulness. Thank you that I can lean on Your stability to anchor me through my change.

Are you feeling inadequate? He is called The Lifter of My Head (Psalm 3:3)

Lord, You know the feelings I have right now of just not being enough. My tendency is to walk with my head lowered. I praise You that You have called me by my name, You have saved me and You will be my strength where I am weak. I thank You and praise You that You, O Lord are the lifter of my head!

Do you need wisdom? He is called All Wise (Proverbs 3:19 — 20)

Lord, You know I need direction. I praise You that You are all wise. You alone can see the beginning from the end. You alone can direct me. Speak to me from Your Word, bring others alongside me, give the quiet voice of Your Holy Spirit to guide me. Thank you that You are all wise. I trust You to show me the way.

As we run to the strong tower of the name of the LORD, our hearts are quieted as we view His majesty. His power is invited to work in our hearts and minds and lives. We praise the name of the LORD our God!

Question: Have you ever meditated on some of the names God is given in the Bible?

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2012/10/03/gr_name-of-the-lord/

by Marilyn Ehle

“They (the psalmist’s enemies)…swarmed around me like bees, but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns…I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my defense; He has become my salvation.” From Psalm 118

A friend* living in another country sent me this fascinating account of a recent experience:
Psalm 118 came to life Monday night after I had an unexpected encounter with a swarm of bees. I was at my computer and looked up to see bees flying in the window. I jumped up and waved the first non-breakable object I could find at them and got all but two bees to go back the way they came before slamming the window shut. Then my offensive weapon, a stuffed dog, became a bee smusher.

The sight on the other side of the glass was unlike anything I’d ever seen. Hundreds, possibly thousands of bees swarming about for hours. This morning, when I went outside, hundreds of dead bees lay by the elevator where they’d come in through a nearby window. Many of those bees would have been in my apartment if I hadn’t been close at hand when the cloud appeared.

The psalmist wrote that the enemy nations surrounded him like bees. Now that I’ve come a bit closer than I’d like to being surrounded by bees, I have yet another picture of God’s protection.

As I reflected on what happened, I realized that the enemy had been attacking me with a lot of little things, none in themselves that big, but together were probably a bigger swarm than I’d realized. In Christ’s name I can slam the window shut on what the enemy is trying to do.

What are the “bees” in our lives? Perhaps the potential sting looks like worry, or depression, or the biting words of one we had thought to be a friend. Taken singly we are apt to think that we can simply ignore the bees’ presence or combat them with positive thoughts, but our ultimate weapon is always reliance upon the Lord who promises to be our strength, defense and salvation.

*My friend has given me permission to write about this incident.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2012/10/01/me_a-bee-attack/

The Name of the Lord

A Bee Attack

Daily Thoughts about God Posts

The Name of the Lord

A Bee Attack