Jehovah.

Ok, so this little journey is already proving to be very interesting. I began my day knowing that I would be writing about the root of many of God's names, which is "Jehovah." I've never made or fully taken a 30 day challenge like this because I'm human and I fail....A LOT. I am forgetful and busy to a fault and I was so worried that I would forget all about the challenge and never move forward on this journey God is leading me on.

(This is where God would be saying, "HA! Amateur! She thinks I'll allow her to forget what I'm asking her to do! Now THAT is rich!" I can just hear his belly laughs rolling across the sky like thunder.)

Much to my surprise, once I got up, had my coffee, and was on my way to work, this challenge was the first thing that popped in my head. I began to think, "Ok God, I'm seeking you. I want to know more about your name Jehovah." Before I knew it I had spent 20 minutes meditating on God while I was driving. The same thing happened on my ride home. My thoughts immediately returned to Jehovah. If nothing else, just focusing my heart and mind on Him was worth the price of admission! It was the slight detail I overlooked when I embarked on this journey. I can't wait to see what a difference this is going to make in me and my walk with God.

Anyway, on to "Jehovah." It is the name of our God who can stand on His own and needs no help. He is the only true God. We have many people, myths, ideas, and dreams that we try to elevate to the status of "a" god, but is endless and doesn't change. He is who he is and that will never change throughout eternity. He IS.

Check it out:

Exodus 3:13-15

13 But Moses protested, "If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, 'The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,' they won't believe me. They will ask, 'Which god are you talking about? What is his name?' Then what should I tell them?" 14 God replied, "I AM THE ONE WHO ALWAYS IS. Just tell them, 'I AM has sent me to you.'" 15 God also said, "Tell them, 'The LORD, the God of your ancestors -- the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob -- has sent me to you.' This will be my name forever; it has always been my name, and it will be used throughout all generations.  

In this passage, Moses was afraid of a task God had given him. It wasn't exactly the job of seeking Him and recording it on a blog. Nope. This was tough stuff. He had to go to the leader of a nation and tell him that God (Jehovah) wanted him to free the Hebrews from slavery. A lot was at stake here and Moses wanted some sort of proof to offer Pharaoh. He wanted a name.

I'm imagining Heathcliff Huxtible (Billy Cosby) telling one of his kids, "I brought you in this world and I'll take you out!" It is like God is saying, "I was here before you were born and I'll be here long after your dead and gone. You will fade away like a mist, but I do not change and I'm not going anywhere. You don't want to come against me. THAT is who I am."

Of course, that would have to come from the Christy's Anything But Typical paraphrase version of the Bible, but I digress.

The name Jehovah will forever mean to me that the God I serve is fierce and not afraid to confront anyone or anything. He will lay a smack down to free His people from whatever enslaves them (and we've all been enslaved by something at some point whether it was sin, pride, fear, legalism, addictions, or whatever). Leaders of nations can't thwart him. Human power can't hold him back. He is unstoppable.

He IS Jehovah.