Hallowed Be Your Name, A Study of the Names of God - Part 4: Jehovah Shammah

REVIEW
 
In our series on the Names of God, we have been learning more about Him which certainly will cause us to approach Him differently – in more confidence, assurance, and boldness. This is what Jesus was trying to teach His disciples when He taught them to pray by first “hallowing” His name.
 
You see, when we see His name as different than just any other name and when we come to know His true character, the natural result will be drawing near to Him in faith. And we all know – if we want to receive from the Father, we must come to Him in faith and by faith.
 
So we started off looking at the first name the LORD was given in the Scriptures – the name for “God” which is Elohim. And we learned that this name describes what most people inherently know about God – that He is the Ruler, the Judge, the Supreme, Almighty, All-Powerful God.
 
You see, most of the people on this planet – believers and unbelievers alike – have no issue seeing God in this way. And you know what? That’s actually a healthy thing! Yes, it’s good to understand that God is the top of the food chain and is the Creator of all things. It is a good thing to understand that He is the All-Powerful and All-Knowing God whom we must give an account to one day.
 
The problem is, however, if we only see God this way, we miss so many of the privileges that are afforded us of having a personal relationship with Him. Yes, those who know Him as “Elohim” (no, not by that actual name but by what that name means) have a difficult time seeing God as He is in truth – as love, as merciful, as good, as kind, etc. This is why we need to learn about ALL of His names because that is what will cause us to draw near to Him and desire to know this wonderful God named Elohim.
 
This is why we also then looked at a few of the names given to Elohim in the Book of Genesis – El Elyon, El Roi, and El Shaddai. Each of these names showed us another element of who our Supreme and Sovereign God truly is.

1. He’s the Most High God who dwells together with those who are contrite and humble themselves under His mighty hand. Therefore, our Almighty God is truly a God of humility.
2. He’s the God who Sees – the One who sees us even when we feel unseen – meaning even though He is the God over all creation, He still takes it upon Himself to see us individually and know everything about us.

 

1. He’s the God who is More than Enough who supplies the needs of His people in fullness and abundance. In other words, He doesn’t just barely meet our needs and desires; He gives more than enough provision because He’s that good.

 
So Elohim is all of this and so much more.
 
But we looked at what His most popular name is last week and the name that He said will be remembered as a memorial before Him forever – and that name is Yahweh.
 
Now as we made the point of last week, this name has other names that have been derived from it:
 
For example, the name Adonai came from this name in that the Jewish people got to the place where they didn’t want to risk taking His Name in vain, so they started calling Him Adonai instead of the name He gave them, Yahweh. And we can see when this was used in our English Bibles because when Yahweh was the Hebrew word, they put the word LORD in all caps. However, when Adonai was used it was like so – Lord.
 
Also, when Yahweh was transliterated from Latin, the letter “Y” was substituted for a “J,” and this is where we get the word “Jehovah” from. So Jehovah is well known to us in English speaking countries because our Bibles gave us this transliteration of Yahweh.
 
Now we addressed these things in last week’s message because it’s important for us to not become “Pharisaical” about what name we use because the Holy Spirit told me – “I don’t care what you call Me, just don’t call me later for dinner” – meaning, it’s not about the name we use but that we know what His name represents and invite Him into our hearts and enjoy good, rich fellowship with Him.
 
You see, church, it’s all about relationship with Yahweh. In fact, this name of His is a very relational name as it’s used when God gets involved with His creation and shows us His redeeming power. Yes, Yahweh is God’s covenant keeping name and what He “exists” to do on our behalf.
 
I intentionally use the word “exist” there because, at its root, Yahweh means “to be.” We learned that this is why, when Moses asked God to give him His name that He said to tell the children of Israel that “I Am Who I Am” had sent him to them. So Yahweh’s full meaning is – “The One who was, who is, and who is to come” – which is what Jesus revealed Himself as to the apostle John (Revelation 1:8).
 
But we also learned that Yahweh was the name that God had intended to reveal Himself as to the children of Israel – a name that was not fully realized by even Abraham and the rest of the patriarchs (See Exodus 6:1-8). In other words, Yahweh/Jehovah was going to be the name that God was going to further expound on His nature & character through the covenant He would establish with Israel.
        
Which leads us to what we will begin looking at today – the Yahweh/Jehovah names of God that further amplify what our God is, was, and ever more shall be, our Lord who always keeps His covenant, and who will do what He promised for those He is in relationship with.
 
Yes, these names are the fulfillment of what God meant in Exodus chapter 6 when he said that He was going to reveal His name as Yahweh to His people and they would REALLY come to know Him in a way that the patriarchs never did. Thereby, Israel would be able to obtain the promises that escaped the patriarchs.
 
So are you ready to look at these covenant keeping names of God? These are who God IS for those believe on Him and what He has promised to be for those in covenant with Him.
 
Now I am going to use the name Jehovah for all of these names because that is how I learned them as an English-speaking American, but you are free to substitute Yahweh for Jehovah on each of these names if you so desire.  
 
According to my count, there are nine Jehovah names of God:

1. Jehovah Jireh
2. Jehovah Rapha
3. Jehovah Rohi
4. Jehovah Nissi
5. Jehovah M’Kaddesh
6. Jehovah Tsid Kenu
7. Jehovah Shalom
8. Jehovah Sabbaoth
9. Jehovah Shammah

 
Now the spelling of each of these names can vary based on the source, but again, things like the spelling and the pronunciation are not as important as knowing in our hearts what they mean and seeing Yahweh this way.
 
Let’s begin this week with the last name on my list – Jehovah Shammah.   
 
JEHOVAH SHAMMAH
 
The name Jehovah Shammah appears in Ezekiel 48:35 as the name of a city the prophet Ezekiel was shown in a vision. Jehovah Shammah means “THE LORD IS THERE” (Ezekiel 48:35). Thus it denotes – Yahweh is present in that place.
 
Now the background to this Name of God is as follows: When Ezekiel received this vision from God, the Jews had been in captivity in Babylon for twenty-five years (See Ezekiel 40:1). Jerusalem and the temple were in ruins. But God had promised that His people would be restored, and that the city and the temple would be rebuilt (See Jeremiah 25:11,13; Daniel 9:20-27).
 
So in the closing chapters of Ezekiel, the prophet describes what God told him in a vision about this coming restoration of the land, the city, and the temple. It included detailed plans and measurements for the restored city. And so the final words of Ezekiel’s book are these: “And the name of the city from that day shall be: THE LORD IS THERE [Jehovah Shammah]” (Ezekiel 48:35).
 
Of course, the name, Jehovah Shammah, doesn’t occur in the New Testament in that you don’t find too much Hebrew contained in the New Testament. But the apostle John clearly takes Ezekiel’s description of the restored city and applies it in his vision of the New Jerusalem which will come down to Earth out of heaven when sin is no more (See Revelation chapter 21).
 
Notice the parallels between the two cities:
 
Again, its name is Jehovah Shammah—God Is There – in Ezekiel 48:35. The apostle John says of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21:3 – “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.”
 
In Ezekiel’s vision, God takes him up to a high mountain to show him the restored city (See Ezekiel 40:2). And the apostle John says that an angel “… carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God” (Revelation 21:10).
 
Ezekiel saw a man with a measuring rod who begins to measure the different parts of the city and announce its dimensions (See Ezekiel 40:3), and the apostle John says, “He who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall” (Revelation 20:15).
 
Ezekiel’s city had twelve gates (three in each of the four walls), and each gate is assigned to one of the twelve tribes of Israel (See Ezekiel 48:30-34). In like manner, John’s city has the same—three gates in each wall with a gate for each of the twelve tribes of Israel (Revelation 21:12-14).
 
Ezekiel’s city was in the shape of a square, with each side measuring “four thousand five hundred cubits” (See Ezekiel 48:30-34). The apostle John’s city is also a square, although the dimensions are slightly different (Revelation 21:16).
 
So it is clear that what Ezekiel was seeing and prophesying would come to pass was something that was way off in the future, where to even we today have yet to see its fulfillment because it’s literal and complete manifestation will come when His kingdom comes, the New Jerusalem from heaven.
 
I AM PRESENT
 
But I’m here to give you some good news today: This promise of a city where God is present is not only for those in the past or for us in the future. God is there for us today as well …
 
Let me remind you that Yahweh means at its very root that the Lord is the Great I AM. Yes, this includes Him being the One who was and the One who will be, but this indicates that He always IS.
 
So as we consider this name of God that means THE LORD IS THERE or THE LORD IS PRESENT, we don’t need to look at this promise as THE LORD WAS THERE or THE LORD WILL BE THERE; no, He is not just in the past or in the future. He is in the PRESENT! No, He is not Jehovah Shammah, the Lord who will be there. HE IS THERE! Yes, right now Yahweh is present!  
 
You see, the first time this Hebrew word “shammah” is used where we get the word “there” from is in Genesis 2:8 when we are told – “The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed.”
 
So the picture that is painted here is of God planting a garden and then placing the man whom he created “there” (i.e. Shammah). And so when we look at this name of God – Jehovah Shammah – this is exactly how we should view our God!
 
You see, when we were born again, God planted a garden in us. Yes, He gave us a new spirit. He took out that old calloused & hardened heart and put a new soft and sensitive heart inside of us. But do you know what else He did? He placed the Last Adam in us! Yes, Christ is in us! He is “shammah”; He is there! (If you’re a born-again believer in this place, point at your belly and say, “He is there!”)
 
So the reality here is that God cannot get any closer to you than He already is – for He lives within you and plans to abide there forever!
 
But it sure doesn’t always feel that way, does it?
 
You see, the name Jehovah Shammah would have had special meaning for those Jewish exiles that Ezekiel’s prophecy was written to. Why? Because can you imagine how they might have felt all of those years in Babylon? I’m sure they felt forsaken and cut off from God. They knew that they got themselves in this situation. So you know that emotions such as condemnation, guilt, regret, etc. had to have been feelings that they were experiencing.
 
This reminds me of what happened in the Garden of Eden after man’s sin:
 
You see, Adam and Eve were perfect. They were righteous, holy, and had God’s glory. But when they sinned, they fell short of the glory of God. Sin entered and they died spiritually. And I’m sure that at this time, they had all the same feelings that the Jews had while in Babylon – feelings of guilt, condemnation, etc.
 
And I want you to realize that there are a lot of us here today who probably feel a lot like both these Jewish exiles and Adam & Eve did. We feel forgotten. We feel exiled from the presence of God. We feel we’ve been kicked out of the Garden because of our sin. Sure, we know we made mistakes and, therefore, feel justified in being “exiled” from the place of His presence.
 
THE NEW JERUSALEM
 
You see, many believe that God hates sin so much and is ready to punish us when we sin because of what happened to Adam and Eve after they sinned. Many believe that God kicked them out of the garden because He wanted to judge and punish them for their mistake, but this is simply untrue…
 
If you look at the end of Genesis chapter 3 you will find the reason why God had to banish them from the garden after their sin…
 
Genesis 3:22 says, “Then the Lord God said, ‘Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever’- therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.”
 
You see, God did not kick them out of the Garden to punish them; He sent them out of the Garden to protect them! He knew that the tree of life was inside the garden and if they were to partake of the fruit of that tree after partaking of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they would live forever in a dead and cursed state. In other words, if they were to eat the fruit of the tree of life then they would live forever physically in a spiritually dead condition. And God loved them too much to let that happen. So He sent them out of the garden and guarded its entrance.
 
This is how much God loves us! He loves us enough to protect us. Ultimately, this is why God gives us commandments, statutes, and ordinances. He is not saying “Thou shalt not…!” from the standpoint that He is trying to control us and keep things from us. It is ultimately His protection! He, as any good father, will give His children boundaries, not just because He is trying to get us to do what He wants us to do, but because He wants the best for us! We don’t tell our children to look both ways before they cross the street because it brings us pleasure to see them obey us. No, we give them those types of commandments because we are trying to protect them and because we want it to be well with them. So how can we believe that God is any different when He loves us infinitely more than we love our own children?
 
No, this is the nature of our God… He is love! He is merciful! He is full of grace! And He only gets to a place of anger and judgment when His great longsuffering is tested. So don’t ever let the devil or religion tell you otherwise! He is for you, not against you! 
 
Likewise, this belief we have that God forsakes you when you sin is not true either. No, He doesn’t leave us. What happens is we leave Him. Yes, our guilt and condemnation cause us to leave His presence because we either believe that God won’t have anything to do with us or because we feel we don’t deserve to be close to Him, and so we willfully flee from his presence like Adam & Eve did.
 
But what we learn is that what the First Adam lost in the beginning, the Last Adam restored to us in the end. Let me explain … 
 
What we see in the first two chapters of the first book of the Bible is exactly what we see in the last two chapters of the last book of the Bible. We see the original creation of the heavens and the earth in Genesis chapters 1&2 and in Revelations chapters 21&22 we see the new creation of the heavens and the earth! In the beginning, we see the birth of the Garden of paradise and in the ending, we see the new birth of the Garden of paradise! And everything in between is the process of our restoration to that place we held in the Garden!
 
You see, Second Corinthians 5:17 says that when we were made new creations in Christ Jesus that old things had passed away and behold all things became new. Did you know that this same verbiage is used in the last couple of chapters of the Bible, in Revelation chapters 21 & 22, referring to the coming of the New Heavens and the New Earth? Yes, these verses in Revelation unveil how Second Corinthians 5:17 is almost repeated verbatim in these verses. Let’s take a look at them…
 
Revelation 21:1-5 says, “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had (what?) passed away. And there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new…’”
 
Any of those phrases in there sound familiar?  
 
Now, of course, this is referring to the literal coming of the kingdom of God on the earth after Jesus has returned and destroyed all of His enemies. But what the Lord has shown me is that this also typifies what has already taken place in us when we were made new creations in Christ. In other words, what we see here in the end, when God creates the new heaven and new earth, is the fulfillment of what He has already done in every born-again believer’s spirit. 
 
Now the price was paid for the salvation of our soul and body as well, but they will not experience what we have already experienced in our spirit until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. And on that glorious Day, when He returns, this mortality will take on immortality and we will receive in our bodies exactly what we received in our spirits. 
 
And this is my point: If we have been born again, we have already received spiritually what we will receive naturally when God creates the new heavens and the new earth and brings His kingdom to the earth. So what I want us to do is look at these Scriptures in Revelation as already being fulfilled - in our spirit.
 
Again, Revelation 21:1 says that the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. That sounds like familiar verbiage, does it not? You see, just as Paul said that when we became new creations in Christ, that old things have “passed away”, so our life before Christ came into our world had passed away. All that was first, has passed away! Praise the Lord!
 
Then notice verse 2…
 
Notice, first of all, how the holy city, the New Jerusalem, was “coming down out of heaven from God”…
 
Did you know that when the Bible speaks of being born again that the literal translation of that phrase “born again” is to be “born from above”? And this paints a beautiful picture of where the new birth originates. It originates from heaven! We are born of God! Our new nature, the new creation itself, has come down from heaven and replaced our old, sinful nature. Praise the Lord!
 
Then just as the holy city of God—the New Jerusalem—came down from heaven to the new earth, God placed within us His holy city - His New Jerusalem! We were made His temple - His Jerusalem - that is, His chosen people, His kings and priests are we! As First Peter 2:9-10 says, “But you (all who are Christ’s) are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a (what?) holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light, who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.” As Gentiles, we were without hope and without God in the world. Then God, in His infinite mercy, made us His covenant people. And He didn’t put us in the holy nation; He put the holy nation in us! Therefore, the holy city of God now resides within us, and we are now the Israel of God.
 
This is why Paul can say in Romans 2:28-29- “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.” This clearly tells us that those who are born again, those who have received the spirit of Christ, are the chosen people of God today. We are the New Jerusalem! Not that God has forsaken His original chosen people—the nation of Israel—for He cannot deny Himself and is faithful to His covenant with Abraham. But what we need to understand is that we who are in Christ have been made what the original chosen people of God were made. The difference is that they were made the people of God naturally; we were made the people of God spiritually. They were placed in the holy nation; we had the holy nation placed within us. They were born Jews from a physical standpoint; we were born again as Jews from a spiritual standpoint.
 
This is in no way intended to make us look at the original covenant people of God in a lesser way. We should certainly honor God’s covenant with Israel by faithfully praying for His chosen people. But at the same time, we need to elevate in our minds the covenant God has made with us through Christ. We do not need to act like we are still stuck in the outer courts! We are not in outer courts anymore! We have been given access into the inner courts through Jesus Christ, and not only that, but our new and better covenant has rent the veil and now we can enter the holy of holies. Hallelujah!    
 
And notice how else verse 2 describes this New Jerusalem that descended from heaven… It says it was “prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” Now we see a repeat of what we talked about last time we were together…
 
Not only are we made the Israel of God and a holy nation in our spirits, but we were at the same time made the bride of Christ! This was all made possible because we have been washed in the water of the Word and cleansed where there is no spot nor wrinkle in His new creation. We are, right now, the bride of Christ because we have been born from above. Thank You Jesus!
 
Then in verses 3-6 we see further what spiritual realities have taken place within us…
 
Revelation 21:3 says, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.”
 
What an awesome promise! Just as God will physically “tabernacle” with us when the new heavens and new earth are created, coming to dwell with us forever, He has already accomplished this in our spirits! He has come to tabernacle within us! He has promised to never leave us or forsake us, and to be with us and in us until the end of the world! The Apostle Paul said that this is the mystery of the New Covenant - Christ in us, the hope of glory! One of His names is Jehovah Shammah, which means the Lord is present! Praise the Lord, He is present! He is in our midst because He dwells within us! The Lord has made His tabernacle within us and our spirits are now the holy of holies. This is where God resides! Hallelujah!
 
Now notice Revelation 21:5&6… These verses quote the Father as saying, “Behold, I make all things new!” (This sounds strangely familiar, does it not?:) Then He says, “It is done!” (or, it is finished!) Everything in regard to our salvation and sanctification of spirit has been completed! It is finished, as Jesus said on the Cross!
 
Truly, He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end! His work in us is typified in both the beginning (i.e. Genesis) and in the end (i.e. Revelation)!
 
So again, He is Jehovah Shammah today just as much as He promised to be in both Ezekiel’s prophecy and the apostle John’s revelation. He is present! And we have boo coos of promises of this.
 
So let’s end today’s teaching with a bunch of Scriptures in the Bible that emphasize this truth that God is Jehovah Shammah …
 
JEHOVAH SHAMMAH PRESENT THROUGHOUT THE SCRIPTURES
 
First of all, once God cut covenant with the children of Israel, there was a promise that He emphasized and reemphasized again that He would be with them.
 
In the Book of Exodus, when Moses asked God to go with them on their journey through the wilderness, God made a promise to Him …
 
He said in Exodus 33:14 – “… My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
 
Here, the LORD assured Moses of His presence and promised to bring rest to His people. Likewise, as we travel through life, God goes with us too. And guess what this should result in? Us entering into His rest. Yes, knowing God is with us wherever we go should cause us to be at peace and rest, even in the midst of the busiest and most tumultuous seasons.
 
Then in Deuteronomy chapter 31, we have the instance where Moses said at 120 years of age, that it was time to turn the reins over to Joshua. And in his words to the children of Israel, he says, “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6).
 
Now why do you suppose Moses said this to them? I can guarantee you it was because they might have believed in their hearts that Moses was the reason why God had been with them up to this point. So Moses here was encouraging them to be strong and of good courage in knowing that God will still go with them.
 
In fact, Moses then turned to Joshua himself in Deuteronomy 31:7-8 and said, “Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it. And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”
 
Now what is interesting about this is that later on, after Moses had died, the Lord speaks directly to Joshua and essentially says the same words –
 
He says it multiple times to him, but says one last time in Joshua 1:9 – “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
 
Church, it’s important that we realize that God is with us wherever we go to. When God enters into covenant with His people, He is resolved to always be present and there for them – and that certainly includes us.
 
And the fact that God spoke this multiple times to His people first through Moses and then Himself directly shows us that there will likely be a need for us to have to hear this more than once because it’s just natural (and might I say, carnal) to not let our hearts embrace this as truth. 
 
But it did not end in the Torah … I have found several passages of Scripture in the Psalms themselves that declare to us God’s promise to continue to be Jehovah Shammah.
 
Psalm 23:4 says, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”
 
Here, we are reminded that even in the midst of our darkest moments, God is with us, providing comfort and protection. And His presence is a source of strength and assurance that we need not fear.
 
Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.”
 
This Psalm reminds us that specifically in times of heartbreak and sorrow, God is close to us. Why? Because He is compassionate and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
 
Psalm 139:7-10 says, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.”
 
This Psalm reminds us that no matter where we are, whether in the highest heights or the deepest depths, God is with us. His Spirit is present even in the most remote places. This verse brings comfort, knowing that there is nowhere we can go where God’s presence cannot reach us. His guiding hand is always there, leading and protecting us, regardless of our circumstances.
 
Psalms 46:1 says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Later on in the same Psalm, the psalmist repeats this truth – “The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.” (verses 7&11)
 
Of all the verses that we are using, I think this one best describes Jehovah Shammah …
 
You see, as our refuge and strength, God is a very present help in trouble. That means that He is there, yes. But He’s there, He’s present, to help us in whatever trouble we find ourselves in. So if that is physical trouble, then He’s there as our healer. If that’s financial trouble, then He’s there as our provider. Whatever we need, Jehovah Shammah is there to help. Glory!
 
As we move on to the Book of Isaiah, we see this repeated in Isaiah 41:10, we are told – “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
 
God’s promise again connects fear with God’s presence – meaning, when we understand that God is with us, it expels fear. Yes, knowing that the Almighty God is holding us with His righteous right hand gives us a sense of security and peace. We can trust in His strength and find comfort in His unfailing love.
 
Isaiah 43:2 also says, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”
 
In times of trials and difficulties, this verse assures us that God will be with us. He promises to protect us and keep us safe, even as we navigate through the most challenging circumstances.
 
God’s presence is our shield against the overwhelming floods and fiery trials of life. With Him by our side, we can have confidence that we will not be overcome or destroyed.
 
Again, in Isaiah 43:5, the Lord goes on to say, “Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west.”
 
In this verse, God assures His people that they need not fear, for He will be with them and gather them from all directions. This promise extends to us today, reminding us that God’s presence is with us, providing comfort and protection.
 
Even in times of uncertainty or when our loved ones are far away, we can take solace in the fact that God is with us. His watchful eye is upon us as He gathers and reunites His people.
 
But what we can find even more solid certainty in, is in the promise of Him being Jehovah Shammah in the New Testament …
 
At the very beginning of the New Testament, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph and quoted Isaiah’s prophecy, saying, “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God with us’).” (Matthew 1:23)
 
You see, Jesus is referred to as Immanuel, which means “God with us.” This name highlights the incredible truth that God became flesh and dwelt among us, fulfilling God’s promise to be Jehovah Shammah.
 
At the end of His ministry, Jesus promised His disciples – “…and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)
 
Jesus spoke these words to His disciples before ascending to heaven, assuring them that He would be with them always. This promise extends to us as His followers today.
 
Jesus even said during His ministry – “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” (Matthew 18:20)
 
When we gather together in Jesus’ name, His presence is among us. This verse emphasizes the importance of community and reminds us that we can experience the presence of God as we come together in fellowship and worship.
 
Later on in the New Testament, in Hebrews 13:5-6, we have another awesome truth. It says, “… For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’ ”
 
Here, we are encouraged to trust that God will always be with us, never leaving or abandoning us.
 
But did you know that the same is true for the Holy Spirit? He is the Third Person in the Godhead, so guess what? He is also Jehovah Shammah.
 
Let’s look at a couple of verses that declare this …
 
Jesus said in John 14:16-18, “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”
 
In these last chapters of John’s Gospel, Jesus was preparing His disciples for His soon departure. And here He was promising to send them someone who will “remain forever”— the precious Holy Spirit.
 
You see, the Holy Spirit is our advocate and helper, assuring that we will never be alone. The Spirit of truth resides within us, providing guidance, comfort, and the constant presence of God.
 
So Jesus assures us that we will not be left as orphans, for He Himself comes to us through the Holy Spirit. We can take solace in the fact that we are never alone, as the Spirit of God dwells within us.
 
And finally in First Corinthians 3:16, the apostle Paul reaffirmed the fact that He will abide with us forever, and the main reason is because He lives in our body.
 
He asked the question – “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
 
This verse highlights the incredible truth that as believers, we are the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. God’s Spirit resides within us, and He too will never leave us nor forsake us. Yes, He is there to bring God’s presence and power into our lives constantly.
 
But oh, how often do God’s people feel like God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit have left them and forsaken them? It’s a lot. So just because it feels that way, does that make it true? Not hardly. Feelings are not indicative of reality.
 
I can feel one way like, for example, I can feel rejected because of the way a person acted, but that might not at all be what they were doing. I can feel afraid when there is truly nothing to be afraid of. Feelings are fickle and they are not the evidence of what is true.
 
So what is true? Nothing is more true than God’s Word because Jesus said, “Your (God’s) Word is truth.” (John 17:17). Therefore, God’s Word is the only true reality. So if God says He is always there and He will never leave you or forsake you, then it doesn’t matter if every sensory organ in your body tells you otherwise, He is still there!
 
Yes, God is with us and will never not be – all because He is Jehovah Shammah and He always will be.