Blog Series Part 5: Nine Names of God {God is There}

This is the final post in my first series, “Nine Names of God.”

I’ve explored Him as the Creator. The I AM. My Father, the God Most High. The One who sees me, my Provider, my Healer, and the one who was before all and goes after all. Today I’m so excited to dig into this final name in the series, the God who is There.

Who doesn’t want to know that God is there??? Every single person goes on a search for “God” at some point in their lives. It’s part of our nature (and He actually made us this way!) We wonder who “He” is, why and how we’re on the earth, and if He is there, then how are we to respond?

There are several ways to respond to this urge, this search.

Some will ignore it and decide there isn’t a God; we’re just here for an unknown amount of time, then one day we’ll die and just disappear.

Some will decide there is a “higher power” and spend their life worshiping idols, themselves, or other gods, never meeting the one, true God.

Yet some will encounter Jesus and in doing so, meet God, the Father, restoring the relationship they were meant to have with Him since the beginning of time.

I know this isn’t a popular, safe thing to say.

In a culture that screams, “You do you! Anything goes. Every religion points back to ‘god.’ YOLO. Live it up! There isn’t a god, so it doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is who I want to be and what I want to do. You’re the most important thing you need to worry about. There isn’t ‘truth’ - everyone can just do and believe whatever they want.”

This isn’t a popular view, speaking the truth that there’s only ONE way to meet God.

And even though it’s never been the popular thing to say, it’s still the truth.

The good news is that no matter how far you think you are from this “God” you’ve searched for, no matter what you’ve done that you think disqualifies you, no matter how long your search has been, HE IS THERE.

He loves you. He loves you. He loves you.

He doesn’t love us after we come to Him. He doesn’t wait to forgive us after we confess how much we need Him and how our sin has separated us from Him. He has always loved us and everything we’ve done has already been forgiven! And there is nothing we can do to change these two facts.

I would love to chat with you about this if you have questions or if you feel like you’re just too far gone to deserve His love.

I have GREAT news to share with you, friend!

This name for God is only found one time in scripture. It was actually the name of a city, birthed out of a prophecy in one of Ezekiel’s visions. After specifically laying out the exact measurements of the new city, we finally read its name in the last line of the last chapter in the book of Ezekiel. God named the city, “God is There.”

Knowing what we know now, we know this city was actually the earthly Jerusalem. God so creatively named the city in a way to overwhelmingly remind His people that despite their unfaithfulness and their continuous worship of idols and other gods, He had not completely abandoned them. The very name of their city would make it impossible for them to forget how He longed to be with them and restore them.

Ezekiel experienced a lot in his visions; he witnessed God’s glory departing from the temple in chapter 11, then returning to dwell in a new temple in chapter 43, and finally he was able to share with the people that God would remain with them. They could hold onto this promise that God was there.

He always wanted to be there, to be with His people. He is at rest when He’s with His people and we’re absolutely at rest in His presence!

There was a time when God lived in the Garden of Eden. There was a time when He lived in the Tabernacle. Only the priest could approach Him, and only one time per year at that. There were 8 times when He revealed parts of Himself to certain people, taking on a temporary, physical form. There were 33 years that Jesus lived on earth, right alongside His people; walking around with them and doing life with them. There were times when the Holy Spirit came upon select people and empowered them to complete a certain task.

And if you have Revelation 21:3 ringing in your ears, I’m right there with you!

And I heard a thunderous voice from the throne, saying:
“Look! God’s tabernacle is with human beings.
    And from now on he will tabernacle with them as their God.
    Now God himself will have his home with them—
    ‘God-with-them’ will be their God!

For those of us who’ve accepted and received the grace of God by believing in Jesus, the great news is that His Holy Spirit is always there and He actually lives inside of you! What an incredible thought. The God who created every good thing, creation, and every person ever actually lives in my body.

He uses my hands. He sees through my eyes. He hears what I’m hearing.

I once heard Jessica Satterfield say, “There’s One who is closer than the skin on my bones.”

How beautiful is that? It just gives me chills thinking about it.

NOW He lives inside of us. We don’t have to wait to approach Him, terrified that we will die in His presence. He is always there. We don’t have to go through other people, other channels, or other means. Wherever we are, He is there.

He’s always wanted to be with us. To walk with us in the garden at sunset in the cool of the day. To talk with us about the events of our day, about His incredible creation, or whatever was on our minds. And with the Holy Spirit, we get to do just that. We get to experience life with Him - not just in Heaven, but here on earth. Even today!

The Word: Genesis 28:15, Ezekiel 48:35, Psalm 23:4, Psalm 46:1, Psalm 139:7-12, Jeremiah 23:23-24, Amos 5:14, Matthew 18:20, Matthew 28:20, John 14:16-17, Acts 7:48-49, Acts 17:24-28

Prayer: Father, we love your presence. You are so creative and so personable. You love us so much that you figured out a way to be with us, your wavering, faithless people, despite all odds. Thank you for not giving up on us. Jesus, your name literally means, “God with Us.” Thank you for running after your prodigal children. Thank you that there’s NO WHERE we can go to escape from your presence! You already live in our tomorrows and your grace covers our past. It’s impossible to hide from you. Father, I pray that we would be STILL. That we would stop running. When we’re still, we’re parallel with you. We can rest in your presence. Thank you for being the God who is always there for us! Amen!!

in over my head

BY: bethel music

I have come to this place in my life
I'm full but I've not satisfied
This longing to have more of You
And I can feel it my heart is convinced
I'm thirsty my soul can't be quenched
You already know this but still
Come and do whatever You want to

I'm standing knee deep but I'm out where I've never been
I feel You coming and I hear Your voice on the wind

Would you come and tear down the boxes that I have tried to put You in
Let love come teach me who You are again
Would you take me back to the place where my heart was only about You
And all I wanted was just to be with You
Come and do whatever You want to

And further and further my heart moves away from the shore
Whatever it looks like, whatever may come I am Yours
And further and further my heart moves away from the shore
Whatever it looks like, whatever may come I am Yours

Then You crash over me and I've lost control but I'm free
I'm going under, I'm in over my head
And You crash over me, I'm where You want me to be
I'm going under, I'm in over my head
Whether I sink, whether I swim
Oh it makes no difference when I'm beautifully in over my head
And whether I sink, whether I swim
It makes no difference when I'm beautifully in over my head
I'm beautifully in over my head
Beautifully in over my head