Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts; his name is the LORD; exult before him! (Psalm 68:4 ESV)

Thanking God for WHO He is and WHAT He does is an eternal task. The list of attributes or actions stretches to infinity. Words fail to describe all He is, and we can never reach the end of the praise.

WHO is God? He is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is Creator, King, Judge, and Shepherd. He is the Lord God.

The name used only for Lord God in Scripture is Yahweh, and ancient Israelites considered it so holy they did not utter it out loud.  YHWH (ancient Hebrew did not use vowels) is used 6,824 times in 5,788 verses. Don’t worry- we aren’t going to pray through all 5,788 verses. On the other hand, realize that the verses below barely cause a dent in what we can learn of our YHWH from the Bible.

Yahweh matters because it is the personal, covenantal name of the one true God. It  means “self-existing.” God was not created nor needs sustenance. He is. He was. He will be. Anyone else want to fall on your knees and worship Him with me? How great is our God!

Our Lord God contains all holiness, goodness, and strength. He is the beginning and end of it all. There is NO OTHER God but Him!

• Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: "I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. (Isaiah 44:6 ESV)

The glory of the Lord is wrapped up in His name. He doesn’t need anything, but He deserves all our praise!

• I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols. (Isaiah 42:8 ESV)

From the beginning, Yahweh gave Abraham the name "Yahweh" by which to address Him. He called Abe out of Ur, giving him a land and establishing a relationship with him. Just as He reached out to Abraham, so still Yahweh extends an invitation to us.

• And he said to him, "I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess." (Genesis 15:7 ESV)

• …the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, (Genesis 17:1b ESV)

Yahweh remains Lord God throughout the generations. When He appeared to Moses in the burning bush, He emphasized WHO He was. His goodness and sovereignty extends across the centuries and generations. He IS as He has always been, and He is the same I AM WHO I AM for us today.

• And he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God… Then Moses said to God, "If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' what shall I say to them?" God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And he said, "Say this to the people of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'" (Exodus 3:6, 13-14 ESV)

Who created the world? Yahweh- every single atom.

• "Thus says the LORD who made the earth, the LORD who formed it to establish it--the LORD is his name (Jeremiah 33:2 ESV)

Jesus is the incarnation of Yahweh and He caused a big hairy reaction when He claimed the eternal status and name, “I am.” Jesus’s assertion to divinity caused skeptics to pick up rocks. His listeners knew EXACTLY what He was claiming.

• Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am." So they picked up stones to throw at him…(John 8:58-59 ESV)

Just as Yahweh called Abraham and Moses, He has always called His people into relationship. He states His desire repeatedly: He wants to be our God, and for us to be His people. He wants us. Let me repeat that: HE. WANTS. US. What an astonishing turn of events. We are not working our way toward the Holy Creator of everything. Instead, He is reaching out and offering Himself to us.

• I will give them a heart to know that I am the LORD, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart. (Jeremiah 24:7 ESV)

His call and desire is repeated in the New Testament. Yahweh’s desires do not change - He still wants us to be His own.

• For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (Hebrews 8:10 ESV)

Someday. Some. Blessed. Day. We will dwell with Him. EVERY tear and pain will be swallowed in the glorious presence of His holiness.

• And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." And he who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." … (Revelation 21:3-5a ESV)

Yahweh does not need to do one single thing to deserve our praise. His holiness demands it. Yet His very self-existing nature extends a hand to draw us to Himself. What love. Grace. Compassion. Let’s thank Him for WHO He is.

Prayer

Thank You Yahweh for WHO You are. I stand with the angels and cry, "Holy, holy, holy." You, who are first and last, beginning and end, have all of my heart and every word of my praise.

Your name is glorious. Forgive me for each god I place in front of you: money, reputation, plans, ambition, and so much more. YOU deserve ALL my heart.

Thank You Lord God for desiring relationship with Your people. Thank You for calling me out of a sinful past and into a loving relationship with You. I would rather walk with You into the unknown than remain "safe" but without You.

Thank You Yahweh, for being a relational and generational God. I thank You for reaching out to me and I ask You to reach out and call to my family. May our lives glorify Your holy name.

I praise You for the power You displayed in creation. Thank You for creating me and placing me at this time in history.

I thank You for desiring relationship so much that You took on flesh and came to pay for my sins. Jesus, Your love calls my heart and I desire You more than any other relationship. Thank You for the promise of Your law filling my heart so that I will no longer go my own way.

I cannot get over You wanting me. How is that possible? I can only believe it by faith and thank You for that love.

Oh Lord, I look forward to the day when I will dwell in Your presence continually. I will truly be Yours totally with no reservations. Until that day, my precious Yahweh, I desire to live with praise for You always on my tongue. I thank You for the million ways You love me and for the infinite glory of Your name.

Amen

Dear Friend-

What an amazing Lord God extends His hand to us. Do you know how much He loves you? I pray that today You would hear His call and see His love. That you would be so awed by His presence that you couldn't stop praising if you tried.

You are precious to me and I am grateful for you taking this 31 Days journey with me. God is so amazingly good.