Sometimes we don’t want it to end. Other times we plead for it to end. Saying, “PLEASE. Just make it stop!” It all depends on the ‘it.’
If we’re talking about our child’s mental illness (MI), we wish it would end. All of it. In that case, ‘never-ending’ has a painful connotation. It conjures up images of persistent pain, relentless unrest, perpetual prayers, unending uneasiness, and ceaseless sorrow.
Change ‘never-ending MI’ to ‘never-ending God.’ And suddenly, there’s unlimited hope. With a shift in focus comes more than we could ever imagine or need. New words fill our minds with restored hope.
Out from our cloud of darkness we see glimmers of God’s faithfulness that’s endless and ever reliable … for any situation we’ll ever have to face.
Through His Word we gaze into His heart and find love that’s unconditional and unlimited … for our child, our family, and us.
In our situations, He reveals His power that’s boundless and unconstrained … more than we’d ever before experienced.
In our loneliness, His presence is continual and all-encompassing.
Because He’s God. Yahweh.
Ever wonder what Yahweh means? I did. In my initial search, I discovered it means “HE IS.” That made it clear as mud for me! So I dug deeper. And found a great article.
I learned a lot about the name Yahweh from Timothy Lin’s article “God’s Biblical Name ‘Yahweh’ And What It Means.” Lin explained “HE IS” this way:
“He named Himself ‘HE IS . . . ,’ an unlimited and unsearchable name bearing all the necessities of His people. If they needed redemption, ‘HE IS Redemption’; if peace, ‘HE IS the Prince of Peace’; if help, “HE IS the Counselor.” If they were sick, ‘HE IS the Healer’; if poor, ‘HE IS the Supporter’; if in trouble, ‘HE IS the Deliverer.’”
Later in his article, Lin wrote something that grabbed my attention.
“Now, Moses came and proclaimed that he had been sent by ‘HE IS;’ that was exactly what they needed to hear. They needed a name by which all their problems would be solved and all their questions would be answered. And here it was.
“If they would say, ‘We are too weak,’ the answer of this name would be HE IS your strength; ‘We are too poor,’ HE IS your wealth; ‘We are too ignorant,’ HE IS your wisdom; ‘We are not trained for war,’ HE IS God Almighty.
“What name could be more comforting and encouraging to those faint-hearted people? No wonder when they heard ‘HE IS’ had visited them, ‘they bowed their heads and worshipped’ (Ex. 4:31).
“No other words in the entire vocabulary of language could be better used by God to name Himself than ‘I AM’ or ‘HE IS.’
“It is a heavenly blank check. No matter how much one needs, God has reserved more than enough in His eternal bank.”
Now THAT’S something I understand: a heavenly blank check! God is all I’ll ever need Him to be. What an amazing thought: I have access to His eternal bank. And so do you!
At Christmas we reflected on Emanuel, God with us. Continue to reflect on other names of God. They will remind you of His never-ending qualities.
If you wonder if He’s abandoned you, remember He is the Living God.
If you feel like you’re groping in the dark, look for the Father of lights.
If you need someone to lean on, rest in the arms of your Heavenly Father.
If others have abandoned you, trust your Everlasting God and the King eternal. He’ll always be there.
If your situation seems impossible, leave it at the throne of the Almighty God, the God of heaven, who created all things. Nothing is too hard for Him.
If you’re worn out, enlist Yahweh Nissi: “The Lord is my Banner” to help. He’ll fight for you.
If your resources are depleted or you lack wisdom, look to Yahweh Jireh (Yireh):“The Lord will provide.” He’ll meet all our needs.
If you feel lost, trust YahwehRo’i: “The Lord my Shepherd” to find you. He’ll care for you tenderly.
If you heart’s in turmoil, seek inner calmness from Yahweh Shalom: “The Lord is Peace.”
Hillsong sings of God’s never-ending glory in their song ‘From the Inside Out.’ Unleash your soul and cry out to Him as you listen to their song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-afZJ9_TIM
Vicki – in ways too complex ( aka “long” ) to leave in your comment box – I needed EVERY word you shared in this posting. I will copy it into my journal today as an inspiration to return to. “He is”. Yes – always was and will forever be, but all we need is what “He is” for each moment in this day. Only “He is” knows how to best meet those deep places where often we cannot even form the need into coherent prayers ourselves.
How I love the depth you reached here and then how coherently you shared it with us.
Bless you, my friend!
Love, Lynn
Dear Lynn,
Coming from you those words are very encouraging. I’m grateful this message spoke to you so much you’ll be tucking it into your journal. I’ve done the exact same thing with your messages from time to time! I’m especially glad to hear your feedback since I missed posting a message last week – on Christmas Eve (first time I missed a week since Aug. 2012!). That should give you an idea of how busy I’ve been…way too busy for someone with MS. Reading your comment revived me. Just yesterday I was telling friends (former teachers) we hadn’t seen in years about you. One of them had been going through several illnesses (one right after another) and I told him about Rest Ministries, pointing him to your posts. Just like this comment of yours:
“Only “He is” knows how to best meet those deep places where often we cannot even form the need into coherent prayers ourselves.”: Amen!
Grateful for you,
Vicki