By Toni Ford
When things in the world seem crazy or when my own situations in life seem to be in chaos, the first two places I go for the Lord’s peace and comfort are worship and the Word of God.
Over the past month, there is a song that I have had on repeat: “Beautiful Jesus” by Jonathan David and Melissa Helser. Included below is one of the verses to the song and the chorus follows.
“Beautiful Jesus, My glorious friend; the One who never grows weary and stays till the end; Oh how I love You, I cannot begin to say; All of the reasons that I love to sing Your name; The glory of Your promises, You make wrong things right, You make wrong things right. Oh, how I love You, oh, how I love You, oh, how I love You. Jesus, I love You, no one’s like You. Keeper of my heart, beautiful Jesus.”
This song is a great reminder to me that our Lord never grows weary. He is not surprised by all that is going on in this world. Better yet, I might get weary at times, but He is never weary, and He will walk with me and be there for me till the very end of this world! The song continues by saying that due to His promises in His Word, He will make wrong things right. The Bible, His Word, is the final word. Regardless of what others speculate or say, He does have the final word! As believers in the Lord Jesus, we know that the final word is a good one and that we are already victorious and on the winning side. As a result of these truths, I love how the song leads straight to the chorus, which repeats, “Oh, how I love You,” over and over. We cannot help but sing and speak of our love for Him once we focus on these truths.
My other “go to” is the Word of God, and I love to focus on the names of God. Due to the times we are walking through as a nation and world, two of His names stand out more to me than any other.
Yahweh-Shalom: The Lord is Peace. You have probably heard the blessing “Shalom” from Jewish friends. It means “peace,” but more importantly, it means “the Lord, our peace.” In Judges 6:22–24, Gideon felt alone and rejected and feared for his life, but the Lord replied to him, “Do not be afraid. You will not die.” After Gideon’s encounter with the Lord, he built an altar and named it Yahweh-Shalom – “the Lord is peace.” Psalm 23:2 tells us where the great Shepherd leads His sheep: “He leads me beside the still waters; He makes me lie down in green pastures.” It is only in Jesus that we will find security, sufficiency and serenity.
El Roi: The God Who Sees. El Roi was first revealed in the Bible by Ha-gar, Sarah’s handmaiden who became pregnant with Abraham’s child. Things became very difficult between Sarah and Hagar, so much so that Hagar fled out into the wilderness. Friendless, homeless and pregnant and not knowing what would become of her, she laid down by a fountain in the wilderness. There, an angel appeared to her to give her comfort and to speak of God’s grace and mercy. In Genesis 16, Hagar has a revelation and realizes that God sees her. He understands and cares deeply for all that she is going through.
Did you know that God sees you right now? God knows your very thoughts and cares deeply for you. He knows all that you are experiencing – past, present and future.
May you be encouraged today by His Word and worship! May you experience His peace, knowing that He sees all that you are going through. Remember, He does not get weary with the things of this world. Rather, He is walking with you until the very end. We are already victorious in our Lord Jesus Christ!
If you would like me to join you in prayer please email me at tonif77@gmail.com. I would love to pray for you!