What’s in a Name? (episode 38)

0:00 In today's episode, you will discover what God has promised you in His name. Do you love a prodigal? Do you feel like you are lost in a scary and endless wilderness? Welcome to the When You Love a Prodigal podcast. I am Judy Douglass, and I spent more than 15 years in that wilderness. I believe together we will discover help and hope for your journey. Welcome back to When You Love a Prodigal. Did you enjoy our conversation with Beth and Todd Guggenberger last week?

0:42 Oh my goodness. I just was, I almost cried several times. It was just so meaningful and just what I think all of us need to hear as we love and live with a prodigal. And what did you think about having 11 children? And now we're starting a four-week series on promise. The promise that comes in the names of God. So we have a lot to learn. Long ago I had a friend whose husband was Patrick, and he went by Pat. But when people saw his name, but not him, they didn't know if Pat was male or female.

1:29 He grew weary of the confusion. So when he married my friend, they determined that the names of their children would clearly identify girl or boy. In the years that followed, they had two girls with lovely girl names, Jessica and Joanna. But the name soon got shortened to Jess and Joe. To this day, those two girls are called Jess and Joe, and people wonder, a boy or a girl until they see them. Now most of us have two names or three, some even more, and often there's a nickname.

2:13 So we have quite a few names, and we love to hear somebody say our names. That means someone knows us or cares about us or wants us, except of course when someone in authority calls it out with an ominous tone. Sometimes we're named after a loved one. Our parents have chosen a name with symbolic meaning, and lately lots of names are made up or they take different names and put them together. However they originate, they become us, and we are known by our names.

2:58 Our God is also known by not just a name, but many names, and every single one of those names identifies a truth about Him. His names reveal who He is and what He is like and how He will act. Each name of God is a promise. Not a promise to do as we wish, but a promise that He will always be true to His name. The book of Proverbs assures us the name of the Lord is a fortified tower, the righteous run to it and are safe.

3:45 And so it's in the names of God that we discover who He is and what He's like and how we can be safe no matter what the circumstances. When we need something from God, we can always come to Him in His name. Our King, the God of the universe, says in Psalm 124, He's extended an open invitation to us to call on Him. Our help is in the name of the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. And I don't know about you, but I need help a lot of times.

4:25 Throughout scripture, God's chosen leaders knew to call on His name in their time of need. In Genesis we read about Abram. There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. And Isaac also said a similar thing. He built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord. Elijah in 1 Kings told the people in the prophets of Baal, you call on your God and I will call on the name of the Lord.

5:06 And then our Savior, Jesus, gives us the same invitation. Until now, you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask in my name. Not just something you say at the end of your prayer, but truly in the name of Jesus. Ask and you will receive and your joy will be complete. When God calls Himself by a name, He is saying, this is true of me. This is who I am. This is how I will act. So when He calls Himself Jehovah Jireh, which means provider, He is saying that we can depend on Him to provide for all our needs.

5:54 Jesus was called Emmanuel, God with us, which assures us that He will always be with us. Sometimes scripture names specific names for God, such as Shalom, which is peace. Other times He is described by a characteristic such as God is love. The key is that we can trust God to be true to each name and each named character quality as we move through our lives and are confronted by many different needs, including the challenging journey of loving a prodigal.

6:36 We can call on God by name for that need. You see, the promises of God are in His names. The writer of Hebrews assures us, let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence. We can come to Him with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. And the Holy Spirit goes with us as we accept that invitation. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.

7:17 We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. How many times have I not known how to pray or what to pray and I say, Spirit of God, just you do the praying, you make the ass, because I don't even know what to do. And He says that He'll do that. He's interceding for us. So what are we waiting for? An invitation? We already have it. We have been invited. God is on His throne, waiting for us to accept His invitation to come.

8:01 His arms are open, ready to welcome us. His ear is attuned. He's eager to listen. His heart is open, desiring to respond. He will be true to every name He has called Himself in the Word. Consider this name, Jehovah-Nissi, our banner of victory. That sounds a little unusual. But we can all agree that we are in a battle, a very real battle, fighting for the souls of lost people all over the world, but for each of us with a prodigal, especially for our own wandering one.

8:43 We're in a battle. In previous episodes, we talked about this battle, but we haven't really discussed the final outcome of the war, and that is victory. When Moses and Joshua defeated the Amalekites, Moses used this name of God. Moses built an altar and called it, The Lord is my banner. It is the Lord who lifted high the banner of victory. The idea of a banner comes from a military context. It was the flag that represented the authority to which a soldier owed his allegiance and under which he faithfully fought.

9:26 It was the rallying point on the battlefield. And after a battle, a banner lifted high gave proof of victory. God as our banner reminds us that his ultimate victory over sin and death and Satan was won at the cross. And we have access to this victory now, according to these promises and many others. In Isaiah 11, in that day, the root of Jesse, who is Jesus, will stand as a banner for the peoples. The nations will rally to him and his resting place will be glorious.

10:10 In 1 Corinthians, but thanks be to God, he gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. And in Romans, no, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. And in 2 Corinthians, Paul says, but thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ's triumphal possession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. So we pray and claim in faith the promises embodied in this name.

10:53 He is our prodigal's victory and ours. In the next three weeks, we will look at some more of the different names of God. Most will be Hebrew from the Old Testament, a few from Greek. Each name is his promise to us. Did you hear me? I know I've said it several times. Each name is his promise to us. Let us come into his presence, bring in our worship, our thanks, and our requests with boldness and confidence, for he desires to be with us and to be all he is to us.

11:37 So let me ask you a couple of questions. What is a great need in your life right now? Would you go to Scripture and seek to find a name of God that assures you that he will keep his promise to be that for you? So you're lonely, so you're afraid, so you're in despair, whatever the need in your life, especially regarding your prodigal. Is there a name of God that will address that for you and give you assurance that God will do that, that he will keep his promise?

12:21 And I would really encourage you to take a look at the show notes for some other resources to bless you on this wilderness journey. God bless you. Thank you for joining me today on the When You Love a Prodigal podcast. If you enjoyed today's episode, please subscribe, rate, and review the show on Apple podcasts or wherever you listen. Your review helps the show reach more people with the hope and encouragement of Jesus. Don't forget, take a look at the show notes. And for more helpful information, resources, and books, check out judydouglass.com.

13:05 That's Douglass with two S's. You can find me on Facebook and on Twitter and Instagram at JudyDouglass417. Until next week.