July 13, 2020
Isaiah 44:6-8 … “Do not fear, or be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? You are my witnesses! Is there any god besides me? There is no other rock; I know not one.” vs. 8
The Prophet had what we might call a ‘confident faith’. Not only did he believe in God, he had a name for God—the one God was none other than the God of Israel, the God who had called them out of Egypt and who had given them an identity. There is great value in having such a specific sense of the deity. Too often folks have a rather nebulous concept of God and are reluctant to give their God a name. Their intention is probably an honorable one—they know there are many notions of God floating around among the major religions and they want to be inclusive, and to avoid being offensive they avoid the particular. The problem with such thinking is that it makes intimacy almost impossible. Prayer is hard enough, and if we don’t have a name for God, it’s hard to make a connection. Scripture gives us a boatload of names we can use, it’s just a matter of choosing one and sticking with it. And if someone else prefers a different name for God, that’s perfectly fine—it’s still the same God. And for those who follow Jesus, there’s probably no better name to use than his, and to confidently trust that he is the rock of our salvation.
Thought for the Day: What’s my favorite name for God?
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