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What do you do after you’ve sinned against someone important to you?  The thought of facing them is unnerving.  You’ve decided to avoid them instead.

Uncertainty plagues anyone before they’re about to give an apology.  After all, history proves that not all people are forgiving.  The propensity to hide is well-founded, especially if a past apology didn’t go well.  They refused to let you make things right and enjoyed holding your sins over your head. They were quick to remind you of who you were and what you did, even if it was twenty-five years ago.  This is emotional cruelty.

It’s difficult to separate God from this mix of fallen humanity.  We fear God will also hold our sin over our heads and withhold forgiveness. But God forgives every time, even after repeated failures.  God never gets weary of sincere apologies.  He is as excited to see me return to Bethel and call upon His name as He was the first time I built an altar.  No matter how many times I have failed, His loving-kindness is other-worldly.

And Abram journeyed on from the Negeb as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the Lord.  Genesis 13:3-4 

After Abram was disgraced in Egypt with the Pharaoh, he didn’t decide to throw in the towel.  He traveled back to Bethel, the place where he met God the first time and built an altar.  This was the site of his spiritual homecoming, and he was quick, upon arriving there, to call upon the name of the LORD.  There is no record of shyness.

People’s love is imperfect.  I have many scars to prove it and still have a scared heart where certain people are concerned.  They are dependably judgmental and immovable but God is not like that.  No matter where I’ve gone, no matter what I’ve done, no matter how long I’ve been gone, I can always go back to Bethel.

On the other side of repentance, You will never keep reminding me of my sins.  No one loves like You. Amen

They [our ancestors] refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love.   Nehemiah 9:17

This week’s name for God is rarely included as one of the top ten favorites. It was first mentioned in Nehemiah.  In this chapter, the Israelites gathered together for a day to review the sins of their ancestors.  They repented of their forefather’s sins for six hours.  For the next six hours, they read the scriptures out loud. They repented of personal sins for the remaining twelve hours and then worshipped the Lord. 

Knowing the backstory makes me wonder how much we embrace the power of God’s forgiveness. Corporately, it’s rare for us to assemble for hours on end to examine our spiritual history, enumerate our past iniquities, and then repent specifically of each one. Yet, it is against this backdrop that God is revealed as forgiving.

It’s hard to believe these are the same Israelites that will be mentioned later in the book of Hosea. God will say that they lacked strength, even though they viewed themselves as powerful. He will call them weak, though they believed themselves to be strong. 

Aliens have devoured his strength, but he does not know it; gray hairs are here and there on him, yet he does not know it. And the pride of Israel testifies to his face, but they do not return to the LORD their God, nor seek Him for all this. Hosea 7

Oh, to be like the children of God in Nehemiah.  Our gracious and compassionate God, Eloah Selichot, offers radical forgiveness but I must be willing to turn away from what is unrighteous to pursue holiness. I must chase the things of the kingdom.  There is no need to live with the grievous sins passed down from my earthly family.  There is no need to suffer the ongoing consequences of their mistakes.  There is also no need for me to wring my hands in guilt over my own sin, wondering if God loves me enough to really forgive me.  He does ~ and He will ~ if I believe Him for who He says He is. 

Gracious and compassionate Father, thank you. Amen

May we shout for joy over your salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: The Lord fulfill all your petitions.  Psalm 20:5

When Julius Caesar, a great military leader, raised a banner for all to see, it was a call to arms.  Men stopped what they were doing and ran home to gather their weapons.  They knew they were going to war.  What set Caesar apart from other Caesars was that he went with his men into battle.  His men learned they would never be asked to do something that Caesar was unwilling to do.  Because of that, their love and loyalty to him were legendary, as were Caesar’s conquests and expansion. 

When my father left home to board a ship for France in the early 1940s, he did so after saying goodbye to his family. They didn’t go with him; there was only a send-off. They embraced him, eyes full of tears, and placed a few mementos into his army duffel bag: a small New Testament, some food for the journey, a letter, and the promise of love and prayers. (His father would die during my dad’s deployment.)

There is no send-off when God raises a banner and sends me out to live in His name.  He goes with me. No amount of danger will cause Him to shrink back.  Jehovah Nissi does not become a casualty, unlike the standard bearers in Earth’s wars.  He is Lord of the angel armies.  He has unlimited resources.  No matter how much courage I need, there is a promise.  No matter what provision I lack, He makes it available.  No matter what healing I require, He is the Physician on call. 

I can never say to Jehovah Nissi, ‘You don’t understand what it’s like.’ He does understand. Jesus came and lived as a mortal man, facing the same dangers, limitations, and vulnerabilities. He shared the same dependence on a God He could not see and the same need to live prayerfully, relying on the promises of Scripture. 

Living in alien territory with God as our banner has never been more vital, yet challenging. We live in a world that is hostile to God. Fifty years ago, identifying as a Christian often received positive reactions. That is rarely the case today. I may feel tempted to conceal my faith by leading a moral life and demonstrating kindness and grace to others. However, the world isn’t redeemed with niceties. Oh, that we would be eager and humbly grateful to call Jehovah Nissi our banner!   

Forgive me for all the times I’ve taken shortcuts in my testimony. I will wear the colors of Christ. Amen.

You have given a banner to those who fear you, that it may be displayed because of the truth.  Psalm 60:4

Jehovah Nissi has been my favorite name for God for a long time. In difficult times, I held onto God’s promises and envisioned them as a banner over my head.  God is His Word and God says that He is there gracing my life with His presence. 

What tight spot are you in today?  Over what is your heart aching?  Whose words have left you feeling powerless?  What spiritual test are you currently enduring?  Where are you tired of waiting on God?  God has a word for us, posted on a banner, for every kind of life scenario. 

Jehovah Nissi first came alive for me when I was in my mid-thirties.  Because I started performing in public events so young in life, I had some trauma that came back to bite me.  In the late 1980’s, I suffered persistent anxiety attacks before every concert, which at that time, numbered over a hundred a year.  I sat backstage, watched the clock, and as it ticked down to performance time, I got increasingly upset.  I felt trapped.  The clock became synonymous with a ticking time bomb.  Every tick moved me closer to a detonation. As anxiety ramped up, I often crashed, and either forced myself to perform while stuffing my panic, or cancelling at the last moment.  

A period of counseling proved to be lifesaving as I dealt with the past, unrealistic expectations placed on me as a child/musician, and my inability to say no to those who asked too much of me.  God gloriously healed me from anxiety (and it’s gone to this day) but how He did it was through His name, Jehovah Nissi.  He revealed that although my life was short and frail, He does not weaken or fail with the passage of time. He controls it and is, in fact, outside of it.  He is Lord over time.  The ticking clock was nothing but smoke.  “For a thousand years in Your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.”  Psalm 90:4

Eventually, I could look at the clock backstage and be unmoved.  I could see my Eternal God as my banner, working outside of time, inviting me into spacious places with Him, out of confinement.  I felt suspended from the pressure.  Jehovah Nissi connected me with eternity, something infinitely bigger than a 90-minute concert, and walked with me onto the stage.  He was a banner, a tent, over my head.  I felt cocooned and safe and began to enjoy the adventure of singing, telling stories, and finding ways to share my passion over spiritual things.   

Today, no matter where you and I go, we need only be still, picture the banner, and know that He is with us.  His truth is holding us, surrounding us, cocooning us, and suspending us above the pressure.  May God give you the eyes to see the flag gently waving in response to the wind of the Spirit. 

You are the banner that goes with me into battle.  I will never lose my bearings.  Amen

“And Moses built an altar and named it Jehovah-Nissi, which means ‘The Lord is my banner'”.  Exodus 17:15

This name of God comes from the story in Exodus 17 when the Israelites fought with the Amalekites.  Joshua led Israel’s troops into battle while Moses climbed to the top of a hill where he could see the entire battle play out from a strategic vantage point.  God told Moses that as long as he held up his staff, the Israelites would gain an advantage.  When he lowered it, they would lose ground.  Moses was graced with the stamina to keep the staff raised high. 

When the battle was won, Moses built an altar and named it, ‘Jehovah Nissi’, meaning ‘God is my banner.’  There was no doubt that God had led them to victory. 

Revolutionary and Civil War movies show opposing armies advancing toward each in confrontation.  A single soldier, called a Standard Bearer, carried the flag bearing the ensign of his country or government.  He was always in the front line, making this the most dangerous assignment in the army.  He traded in his gun for a flag, all the while knowing that his enemies would probably shoot him first.  He would never put the flag down to engage in the fighting nor would he surrender the flag if he was wounded.  In fact, he was instructed to wrap his body with it even as the final blows come.  As long as the flag was held high, morale was boosted.  People remembered what they were fighting for.  If they lost their bearings, they looked for their flag and were reminded of who they were and why they fought.  Under the flag, they shared a vision and set of ideals. 

A waving flag also grated against the enemy and intimidated them.  It stood for everything they did not believe in.  No wonder there was always an attempt to capture it and destroy it. It was usually burned.    

This is one of my favorite names of God. It’s extremely touching to me that God places Himself as a banner over my life.  Flesh and blood may not see Him, but it still affects them.  Spiritual beings do see Him: heaven’s angels rejoice and work with Him for my good, and hell’s angels stand down and know that their efforts are under His sovereignty.  

A sanctified imagination can see His banner waving high.  I see it, do you?  In this spiritual battle, I remember whose I am, why I’m fighting, and unlike earthly wars when the outcome is uncertain, I know who wins this epic battle.  Jehovah Nissi has already secured victory.

**Standard Bearers on the front lines usually won many medals.  (though post-mortem)

My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.  Job 42:5

The Egyptians wrote a medical book in 1552 B.C. called “Papyrus Ebers.”  Inside were prescriptions and incantations for all kinds of illnesses. Their remedy for hair loss was to apply the fat of a horse, a hippopotamus, a crocodile, a cat, a snake, and an ibex.  The drugs they mentioned might turn your stomach: lizard blood, swine teeth, putrid meat, and moisture from pig’s ears.  Aren’t you glad you live in this century?

Moses was alive in Egypt when this book was written. He probably saw some of these applications in the palace. Years later, he would live to experience God revealing Himself as Jehovah Rapha, the Lord who heals. God needed only His own power to bring about healing.

The Book of Job is 400 years older than Genesis, so I’m sure many of these primitive methods existed during Job’s suffering. We don’t know if Job’s wife encouraged him to try any of them.  

Job had always been a righteous man. He would arise early in the morning to offer sacrifices to God for himself and each of his children.  They were offered to prevent harm, not because harm existed.  It was Job’s way of ensuring his children’s well-being.  Job did all the right things, yet God permitted Satan to afflict him.  This, alone, proves that suffering isn’t always due to sin. 

Job also suffered from the spiritual interpretations of his three closest friends. Though they claimed to speak for God, they did not, eventually driving Job to take his case directly to God. At this point, his relationship with God became personal and intimate. Before this, sacrificing animals to interact with the Almighty had been largely impersonal by comparison.  We know that because of the testimony reflected in today’s scripture.  My ears had heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you.  Job 42:5

To experience God as Jehovah-Rapha, the Healer, we often pay the price of discipleship to know Him more intimately. We are tested with bitter waters for a season, and though grievous, it is beneficial (in retrospect) because it drives us to the heart of God. This is the place where scriptures became personal.  This is the time when we feel we are connected to God in a life-saving way.  This is the season we won’t trade for anything – even though we’ll never want to repeat it.  Knowing God is our highest privilege and the deepest longing of our hearts.  

This scripture is also my testimony.  Only because of affliction did the props and idols fall away.  Only because of affliction did the eyes of my heart open to see what had been hidden.  

Sometimes, I saw You heal me when I was sick.  But mostly, You have healed my orphaned soul.  You are my Jehovah Rapha.  Praise Your name!  Amen

If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.  Exodus 15:26

As the Egyptian army bore down on the people of Israel, they fled all the way to the Red Sea.  Cornered at the water’s edge, it sure looked like they would be slaughtered but God parted the waters, and His people walked across safely.  As the Egyptian army pursued them, their army, including horses and chariots, weren’t so blessed.  The walls of water, held up by the mighty hand of God, were collapsed and they all drowned. Israel rejoiced, built an altar, and sang a song of victory to their God.  

What a difference three days would make though.  They traveled on into the Desert of Shur (on the heels of the greatest miracle they had ever experienced) and faced the first of many tests.  This one also involved water.  The people were extremely thirsty, and desperate.  Relieved to finally find water, their hopes were dashed when they discovered it was undrinkable.  They named the water Marah, which means bitter.  Moses turned to the Lord and God showed him a piece of wood.  He was instructed to throw the wood into the water, and it would sweeten it, changing the mineral properties to make it drinkable.  It was at this moment that God identified Himself as Jehovah-Rapha ~ the God who heals. 

God spoke and promised to spare His people from any of the diseases He had brought on the Egyptians in the form of the ten plagues.  But like many of the Old Testament promises to come, it was conditional.  They were to ‘diligently listen to the voice of God and do what was right in His eyes, to give ear to His commandments and keep His statutes.’   

Throughout scripture, God has made many promises regarding healing but, honestly, isn’t this a tricky subject?  Sometimes Jehovah Rapha heals when we stand in faith but sometimes, after vigorous seasons of prayer and fasting, He does not.  This tests our faith and often sets up private disappointments.  In the dark, where unspoken doubts fester, Satan loves to work and malign God’s character.  We might even feel we have to make excuses for God when we’ve announced to others that God has promised healing.  Our arguments sound rather hollow coming from a heart that suffers from unanswered questions.

This is the week to explore some of these topics. What can we believe God for?  How do we live find peace in the mystery of waiting?  How do we interpret scriptures about God healing our diseases?  And where does deferred hope intersect this topic? 

We belong to a powerful God who will make all things perfect.  It’s a promise.  Eden will be restored.  For now, we wrestle and trust.  We ask questions but not with a fist.  I’m glad you’re with me for such an important week.  

Jehovah Rapha, we stand together in faith and proclaim that You do all things well.  And on time.  Give us spiritual understanding beyond what we have at this moment.  We believe but help our unbelief.  Amen

We who have been made holy by Jesus, now have the same Father he has. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call us his brothers. Hebrews 2:11

Behavior modification is something I can do myself.  No matter what my heart feels, I can rise above it and force myself to do the right thing.  That is not the case with sanctification. I can’t change what my heart wants.  

Sanctification is growing to have a heart more like Jesus.  I can do absolutely nothing to bring that about.  It’s a holy process generated by God.  

Think about it.  How can I possibly force myself to love someone I don’t love?  How can I make myself desire to make a personal sacrifice when it’s the last thing I want to do?  How can I delight in putting others first when I am overcome with my own needs?   I can’t.  I need a new heart.  God must change the one I have so that it will value what He values.  

Sanctification is also about having a mind transplant.  I can do nothing to bring this about, either.  It, too, is a holy process that God generates. 

Think about it.  I’m incapable of processing anything with kingdom logic.  I can’t guess what those concepts might be.  I am confined to my own head and to the logic I was born with.  Only God can facilitate a mind transplant, and He rewrites what I think through His Word.  It’s living and active and does spiritual surgery.

The only requirement to all of this is that I am willing to defer and stay teachable.  Over a lifetime, my inner landscape can be transformed by small acts of submission to Jehovah Mekaddishkem. To God be the glory!

Plain and simple.  I want Your heart.  I want Your mind.  I will not get off course.  Amen