How Well Do You Know Him? – 13 BIBLICAL ATTRIBUTES OF GOD

Just the other day I was remembering some moments from when I was a teenager, years before I came to know God, really KNOW God- because going to church and knowing about God does not guarantee that you know Him. I remember the many times I would lay in bed and think, “what is the point of this life?”, I would begin to imagine what it would be like if the world were to end at that moment, or if I were to die… what would happen afterward? And all I could see was nothing! Out in space, there was complete darkness and that is how it would be forever, millions and millions of years of nothing but space and darkness. I still remember that feeling, such emptiness, such a void inside of me. Something I couldn’t look forward to.

Today long gone are those thoughts, those days, those feelings. Today I know what the future holds, today I have confidence in what millions and millions of years to come will look like, today I know the ETERNAL ONE, the one that holds my future in the palm of His hand and has promised eternal life in Him and with Him. Today I look forward to that day with excitement and with confidence, with hope because I KNOW HIM. Despair, depression, anxiety, worry, and hopelessness all stem from a place of not knowing Him. Our God is not about religion, He is about a relationship, intimacy, and oneness. Do you know Him?

He has told us who He is:

1. YHVH RAAH:

The Lord is MY SHEPHERD; I shall not want. (Psalms 23:1)

There is so much peace and stillness in knowing that He is our covering, that He is in charge, that He is our shepherd. There is nothing that we lack when we have Him: our life has purpose and direction. We are confident that He goes before us, with us, and behind us, that the wolves might surround us, but the great shepherd is in control and He leads us through the safe path. Yeshua is the good shepherd who knows His sheep and calls them by name and has laid down His life for them. “Greater love has no one than this: than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13). Do you know your Shepherd? Can you hear His voice?

2. YHVH GAAL:

“Thus says the LORD, YOUR REDEEMER, The Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go.” (Isaiah 48:17)

Our freedom isn’t really free. Although we are saved by grace through faith and it is not of our own doing, that freedom was still bought with a price- HIS BLOOD. If a debt is owed and you are unable to pay it, then your closest relative can settle it on your behalf so that you may be free from it. And that is exactly what Yeshua did for us. As our Savior He paid the highest price for our freedom, no money or gold can ever equate to it, the blood of the only one that is innocent and without sin was shed for our redemption.

He paid the ransom for our life, He died so that we may live. The Bible says that the wages of sin is death, in Christ that debt has been paid. Yeshua took our penalty by dying in our place that we may receive eternal life in Him. It is true we are not worthy of His life, but we are definitely worth it in His sight. He saw our value and our potential, He saw beyond our sin and wickedness into our created purpose. No one deserves eternal life, but yet He died for us, and for that reason, He is more than worthy for us to lay down our lives for him. Our Redeemer has paid the price for our deliverance. HalleluYah! Do you know your Redeemer?

3. YHVH MILCHAMAH:

“The LORD is a WARRIOR;The LORD is His name”  (Exodus 15:3)

Back in Yeshua’s days all of Israel was expecting a warrior king, one that would defeat the Roman empire and bring deliverance from the oppression they were facing. However, He came as a lamb- quietly, lowly, and He didn’t open His mouth to defend himself. The problem is that many still think of Him as this little defenseless lamb, but our King is a Warrior, a Lion! He is our strength and our deliverance, He is the one that parted the Red Sea and drowned Pharaoh’s army. He WILL fight for us, He WILL stand for us, He WILL win. John the apostle describes His eyes as a flame of fire and his feet like burnished bronze and is coming back victorious, imagine that. Do you know the Warrior that fights for you?

4. YHVH TSIDKENU:

“In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” (Jeremiah 23:6)

It is so easy to get caught up in our own works, in making sure we are doing what is right, trying to justify ourselves before God even if we don’t admit that this is what we are doing. However, there is only one way to be righteous and justified, only one way to eternal life, HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, knowing HIM. He reigns over our lives as King and Lord and in Him, there is wisdom and justice because He is a God of truth and without iniquity. Yeshua who knew no sin became sin so that in Him we could become the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21).  Do you know your Righteousness?

5. YHVH SHAFAT:

“Therefore I have not sinned against you, but you wronged me by fighting against me. May the Lord , THE JUDGE, render judgment this day between the children of Israel and the people of Ammon.’ ” (Judges 11:27)

He is our judge, the one who keeps the order and makes the call of guilty or innocent. He judges with right-ruling and without wavering. There must be confidence in Him as a judge, in knowing that He will not make a mistake, He will not condemn the innocent or let the guilty go without paying their due. We must trust that He sees every situation and judges accordingly, He has done so from the beginning and will continue until the end. “And Jesus said, “For judgment, I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.” Do you know your Judge?

6. YHVH SHALOM:

“So Gideon built an altar there to the Lord , and called it THE-LORD-IS-PEACE. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.” (Judges 6:24)

Gideon built the altar to the Lord and called it “The LORD is peace” right after seeing a messenger of God face-to-face and fearing for his life. Gideon was so terrified that he thought he was going to die. And then the LORD said, “Peace be with you.” I experienced the same feeling of fear and death not long ago, I felt that someone so close to me was going to die, it was the worst feeling ever and lasted a few minutes, but then I thought of the one that I know, the one that is eternal life. I submitted those thoughts and feelings of fear to my Lord and immediately felt that burden lifting and peace overwhelming me.

His peace is so much more than what many know, it’s not just being alright with a situation, it means wholeness, harmony, completeness, prosperity, welfare, tranquility, it means rest- a rest that cannot be found anywhere but in Him. And not only does He bring peace to us, but has called us to be peacemakers. When chaos surrounds you remember that He is the one that stills the raging storm. Do you know your Peace?

7. YHVH MEKODDISHKEM:

“And you shall keep My statutes, and perform them: I am the LORD WHO SANCTIFIES you.” (Leviticus 20:8)

There is a process to sanctification, just like gold is refined through the fire, so are we sanctified through the pruning and the purging, by the Word, by the Spirit, by the Blood. When we are submitted wholly to Yeshua as our master we will begin to see holiness reflected in our lives, we will begin to see how different and separate we are from the world. In Him we go from being sinners to being saints, walking holy as He is holy, He is the one that does the work in us, but it cannot happen without our obedience and devotion. “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked” (1 John 2:6). Do you know the One that sets you apart?

8. YHVH NISSI:

“And Moses built an altar and called its name, THE-LORD-IS-MY-BANNER” (Exodus 17:15)

We are slaves to whom we obey, to whom is our master and leader. The banner that we lift up and walk behind represents the one who leads us. We must recognize who is in leadership over our lives, who we listen and answer to. We must proclaim that YHVH is our leader, we unite as one body under Him and are identified in Him. We lift up His name as our King, our Master, our leader, the one that guides us and in whose name we go to fight the battles- knowing that He is for us and with us. That He will never leave us nor forsake us and is with us until the end of time. Do you know your Banner?

9. YHVH YIREH

“And Abraham called the name of the place, THE-LORD-WILL-PROVIDE; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”(Genesis 22:14)

Abraham called that place ‘The LORD will provide”, right after a ram was provided for the sacrifice in place of his son, his promise, Isaac. I want to emphasize that it happened after he had raised his knife to sacrifice his son, not before. So many times we are waiting for God to provide before we make a move, before we take a step, yet He is waiting for us to obey so that He can provide. Provide what? Provide the sacrifice, the escape, the solution, the next meal, the job, the opportunity, the healing, the freedom, the way.

Could it be that we don’t see the provision because we are unwilling to walk by faith and instead choose to walk by sight? Yeshua reminded us in Matthew 6 to seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and everything else would be added. All of our needs (not necessarily our wants) would be taken care of. We must trust that He will take care of us, that He will provide when the need is before us as we walk in obedience accomplishing the work of the Kingdom. Do you know your Provider?

10. YHVH RAPHA:

“and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I AM THE LORD  WHO HEALS YOU.” (Exodus 15:26)

Part of the great commission that Yeshua gave us is to lay hands on the sick so that they may be healed. The healing comes from the one that is the great physician, the one that was slain before the foundation of the earth for us, by His stripes, we ARE healed. The price has been paid, the command has been given, the promise is there, He is our healer. I have witnessed many physical healings in my time of knowing Him as a healer.

From the simplicity of a small shoulder pain leaving, all the way to a man’s neck and spine straightening out. He no longer walks hunched over due to an accident that occurred years ago. The doctors didn’t give him any hope of ever walking in a straight posture again, but the healer showed up and showed off. The enemy has for far too long stolen so many things from us, our peace, our joy, our freedom, our health, yet the ALMIGHTY creator of heaven and earth restores us. May we always seek His voice and walk under His shadow and in His likeness. Do you know your Healer?

11. YHVH SABAOTH:

“Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the LORD OF HOSTS.” (James 5:4)

Many times it seems like we are surrounded by our enemies, that there are so many things coming against us, so much attacking us that it can feel overwhelming and as if we were all alone. But let us remember that our God is the Lord of heaven’s armies and He is on our side. He sends His army to fight for us. We are not alone or defenseless, just like He sent His messengers that fought to protect Lot and his family. Or when Elisha prayed that his servant would see what he was seeing- the hills full of horses and chariots of fire ready to fight for them. We must know that the ALMIGHTY is the Lord of hosts so we can have confidence in the time of need, so we can trust that He is for us and will send his armies to the battle in our favor. Do you know the Lord of Heaven’s Armies?

12. YAHOSHUA:

“And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name YESHUA, for He will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21)

Yeshua’s name means “YAH saves”, the very description of God is in the name of our Messiah. The word ‘save’ means so much more than going to heaven one day, so much more than a get out of hell card. In Greek the word for save is sozo which means: to save, to heal, to preserve, to deliver, to keep. We were saved, we are being saved, we will be saved. In this specific scripture, the sentence follows with: “He will save His people from their sins”, we are saved from our sins, not only forgiven but rescued from it. We are no longer slaves to sin, but slaves to righteousness. No, we are not poor wretched sinners, we were, in past -before Christ, not anymore.

He has saved us from our sin or as John the Baptist said, “Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). If you know the one that saves you from your sin, then you know that sin no longer has power over you. There is a way out and through His grace we are empowered and taught to deny ungodliness. We are slaves to whom we obey. If we follow Yeshua He will show us the way out, He will rescue us from our sin, from ourselves, and from others so that we may serve Him and Him alone. There is so much freedom in Him, those years of struggling with the same sin over and over again are over, He will deliver us. His blood does what animal sacrifices could never do, by His blood our sins are forgiven and removed. Do you know your Salvation?

13. YHVH EL ROI:

“Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, “Have I also here seen Him who sees me?” (Genesis 16:13)

A few days ago a friend shared with me a song called, “The God who sees”, and this is another name given to God by Hagar: EL ROI. It isn’t only the God who sees, but specifically the God who sees ME. If only you knew how much He cares. When you are wandering in the desert He sees you. When you are going through the storm He sees you. When the world is coming against you because of His name He sees you. In every moment He is the God who sees. We are not forsaken, forgotten, or alone, He is with us every step of the way until we reach the promised land. Do you know the God who Sees you?

There is so much to know of who He is and that is why we need eternity in His presence, but how amazing is it that we can start here and now. The closer we draw to Him the more that we will learn of His character, what makes Him so Great and without comparison. There is no one like Him, none that can stand beside Him or even come close, He is worthy of all our time and devotion, of our entire lives being laid down to become His inheritance. Besides all of the above names, He is also our comforter, our rock, our shield, our strong tower, our joy, our strength!

Today I pray that there would be a hunger stirred inside of you to seek Him like never before, to be in His presence- be intimate with Him in such a way that you WILL KNOW HIM. Not only know about Him or be filled with knowledge and works, but that you can confidently say, I trust because I know Him and I know His unfailing love. A place where we are not living off of another’s testimony. Or a place where you will only speak about what God did for Abraham, Moses, Daniel, but you would say: “This is what He did for me! Because I know Him.”

“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (John 17:3)

“For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:14-21)

by Mayra Lyons

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