The Lord Is There – Jehovah Shammah

With this article, we are rounding out our exploration of different names of God. And it seems fitting that we are ending with the name that is our focus for today: Jehovah Shammah, or the Lord is There. Just like El Roi, it appears one time in Scripture, but it reveals a characteristic we can see displayed all throughout the Bible.

If you are a Christian, this means that when you look at yourself, you should think, “The Lord Is There.” You have not been left to face life alone. Everywhere you go, the Lord is with you.

The Lord Is There appears at the very end of the book of Ezekiel. Ezekiel was a prophet, sent to speak the Word of God to the people. Sometimes the message God gave him to relay was of something yet to come that God wanted them to know to help them stay focused and encouraged. The last several chapters of Ezekiel (40–48) fall into that category. There, we read about a new temple set within a new, restored holy city. This was significant for the people of Ezekiel’s day because they were living in exile. Their entire culture and way of life were built around Jerusalem, which had been taken and destroyed. Their identity had been threatened, and without the temple, they no longer had a way to worship. The Israelites were living in a very hopeless time. So Ezekiel’s vision of restoration was meant to bring them hope, and the capstone of their hope sits right at the end of the book where it says, “the name of the city from that day on will be The Lord Is There” (48:35).

Was the vision of a new city and a new temple exciting for them? Absolutely. But that new temple in that new city would be nothing if the Lord was not present. Ezekiel definitely saved the best for last. Remember, the city and the temple mattered because that was the place where they worshiped God. He was the focus of everything. Without Him, they wouldn’t need a city or a temple. So those Israelites in exile needed to know that a time would come where they could again be in the place where the Lord dwells.

Let’s now fast forward several centuries to the time of Jesus. Many Jews were once again living in Jerusalem and worshiping in the temple. On the surface, it seems like maybe the hopes of those in exile had been fulfilled. However, we have to take into account the work of Christ. Because of His life, death, and resurrection, anyone who would believe and follow Him was promised salvation AND the indwelling Holy Spirit. God in flesh was not confined to the temple; He walked around far outside the bounds of the temple. And when He ascended into heaven, God in Spirit came to dwell inside of all Believers, and not inside the temple walls. This means that when we look at Christians, we can truly say The Lord Is There.

That is a hope-filled message, for sure, but we shouldn’t leave the message there. If you are a Christian, this means that when you look at yourself, you should think, “The Lord Is There.” You have not been left to face life alone. Everywhere you go, the Lord is with you. This means you don’t have to travel somewhere to ask Him to fulfill your needs, and it also means that you can and should worship Him in everything you do. If you are struggling under a burden that seems too heavy to carry, remember that the Lord is there to shoulder that burden, and take time to worship Him for the amazing gift of Him choosing to live inside you.

If you have any questions about this topic or any others we have covered, feel free to leave a comment or reach out to us at our website at experiencecc.com.