And the name of the city from that time on shall be, “The Lord Is There.”

Ezekiel 48:35

Jehovah Shammah – The Lord Is There

Have you ever found yourself asking, WHERE IS GOD? Why am I going through what I am going through? Why don’t I feel God? 

I think it is safe to say that everyone, at some point in their life, will experience a “where is God” season. We may feel that life has dealt us an unfair hand. We may feel as though pain or grief punched us in the depths of our souls. And we find ourselves asking WHY GOD? WHERE ARE YOU GOD?

Jeremiah, a prophet, lived in Jerusalem, and warned the people of Israel of the coming judgement and exile to Babylon. It was during this time that the Lord revealed Himself as Jehovah Tsidkenu, the Lord our righteousness.

Ezekiel, a prophet from the same era, was a part of the people who were exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon. The people of Israel might have wondered, where are you God? Why did you allow this to happen? Why God?

While in exile – a foreign, unfamiliar and dark place – the Lord gave Ezekiel very vivid visions of the times to come. Even in exile, the Lord spoke to His people.

The Lord Moves

Then the glory of the Lord departed from over the threshold of the temple and stopped above the cherubim.

Ezekiel 10:18

One such vision, was a detailed event of the Glory of the Lord leaving the temple in Jerusalem. The Lord no longer dwelled in His temple. He left His temple. This vision must have caused Ezekiel great distress. WHY GOD? WHERE ARE YOU GOD? GOD, DID YOU ABANDON YOUR PEOPLE?

The Glory of the Lord left the temple, but God did not abandon His people.

The Lord was no longer in the temple, the vision made that clear. But the Lord was about to reveal a greater truth to Ezekiel and the people of Israel.

The word of God tells us, that the Lord will never leave us, nor forsake us.

Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.

Deuteronomy 31:6

When we feel disappointed, discouraged, alone, fearful, isolated, worried, anxious, pain or grief stricken – in the moments when we ask WHERE IS GOD? Jehovah Shammah says, The LORD IS THERE.

We can hold fast to this truth. The Lord will not leave us or forsake us. God is there.

GOD is in our past.

God is in our present.

God is in our future.

Jehovah Shammah, the Lord is There.

Dry Bones Live

The Lord gave Ezekiel another powerful vision. There will be times when our spirit feels dry. You know those seasons where we struggle to “feel” God. In those times, the Lord is There. God is telling us that He will breath life into our dry bones.

The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.”  Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.  Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live.

Ezekiel 37:1-5

It is in a place, where all seems dark and the Lord’s spirit cannot be felt that the Lord reveals Himself as Jehovah Shammah.

The Lord is in our past. He was there when it happened and He redeems it in our present.

The Lord is in our present. He is here with us now, no matter how we feel. In our seasons of abundant life – He is pouring out of us. In our seasons of dry bones – He is pouring life into us.

The Lord is in our future. His words, His promises, His provisions. They are all in our days to come.

Ezekiel’s final vision describes with great detail, a city to come. A future hope. A future King. A future Kingdom. He points to the return of Jesus. He points to our Savior who will MAKE ALL THINGS NEW and He says the Lord is There.

And the name of the city from that time on shall be, “The Lord Is There.”

Ezekiel 48:35

I pray that no matter where we struggle to see and feel the presence of the Lord that are eyes will be opened to see Jehovah Shammah. The Lord is there. He is in our struggles. He is in our victories. He is in our mourning. He is in our celebrations. He is in our past. He is in our present. He is in our future. He is in the Kingdom to come. And our beautiful Savior, redeems our “times” and makes all things new.

Many Blessings,

Misty