Elohim

Do you love the feeling of sunshine soaking into your skin? Are you already missing summer, the warmth of the sun penetrating deep into your bones as you lounge by the pool or on the beach? Now that the weather is actually catching up to the calendar, some of us are dreading the coming cold months. 

Not me. 

I love fall and winter.  Not the grey, dingy days though- that gets a little old.  We need bright sunny days even when it’s cold- we always need the light.  

And we always need the light of God’s presence in our lives, no matter how dark the season. Some of us are in one of those dark seasons- loss, overcommitment, financial stress, doubt and worry.  

A couple of weeks ago we read from Isaiah, the passage we love about the promise of Christ. The promise begins, “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.” (‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭9:2‬) We are living in the days of this promise, fulfilled in Christ.  His light is shining, but there is still darkness in our land.  

The question is, where do we see our future? Do we expect the darkness to last forever, or do we see the light that is, and will surely continue to shine? 

Sometimes life steals our ability to see the light. Distractions, difficulties, responsibilities, opportunities- all these things can commandeer our attention and before we know it, we are trying to do everything in our own power and strength.  Or we lose hope in the light’s ability to ever penetrate the gloom of loss and mourning.

I would like to invite you into a season of light, when we allow the presence of God to soak into our skin, deep past our bones into our souls.  As we read scripture, let’s simply allow it to penetrate our hearts with the truth of who God is, and who he wants to be for us, as individuals and in community. Let’s even read the scriptures of those in mourning and doubt, yet who still call out to God, and let’s join them if that is our season.

Let’s read, and allow our hearts to respond in joy and worship. In this space, we will follow a practice described below- follow along, or read in your own way. Several scriptures will be included; if you are pressed for time pick only one. If your souls responds to music, follow the link to a Spotify playlist that includes songs focused on God’s name and attributes; I have found it helps me remember to bask in truth throughout my day.

This week, we are reading scripture where the name of God is translated “Elohim.” This is a word taken from the surrounding culture (“el” for “mighty being” or “god”) yet used in a distinct way by the Hebrews- a plural form with a singular verb, underscoring God’s power (God of gods) and might (Mighty One).

Weekly practice
Prayer of anticipation
Father, thank you for your word. We welcome your work in our hearts through this reading today.

Read text (as much or as little as you have time for!)
      Isaiah 43:10-13
"But you are my witnesses, O Israel!” says the LORD . “You are my servant. You have been chosen to know me, believe in me, and understand that I alone am God. There is no other God— there never has been, and there never will be. I, yes I, am the LORD, and there is no other Savior.  First I predicted your rescue, then I saved you and proclaimed it to the world. No foreign god has ever done this. You are witnesses that I am the only God,” says the LORD .  “From eternity to eternity I am God. No one can snatch anyone out of my hand. No one can undo what I have done.”

      Isaiah 54:5
For your Creator will be your husband; the LORD of Heaven’s Armies is his name! He is your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the God of all the earth.

     Jeremiah 32:27
 “I am the LORD, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for me? 

      Isaiah 45:18
For the LORD is God, and he created the heavens and earth and put everything in place. He made the world to be lived in, not to be a place of empty chaos. “I am the LORD,” he says, “and there is no other. 

      Job 37:5-12
God’s voice is glorious in the thunder. We can’t even imagine the greatness of his power. He directs the snow to fall on the earth and tells the rain to pour down. Then everyone stops working so they can watch his power.  The wild animals take cover and stay inside their dens.  The stormy wind comes from its chamber, and the driving winds bring the cold. God’s breath sends the ice, freezing wide expanses of water. He loads the clouds with moisture, and they flash with his lightning. The clouds churn about at his direction. They do whatever he commands throughout the earth.

     Psalm 42:1-11
As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. 
I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him?
Day and night I have only tears for food, while my enemies continually taunt me, saying, 
“Where is this God of yours?”
My heart is breaking as I remember how it used to be: I walked among the crowds of worshipers, leading a great procession to the house of God, singing for joy and giving thanks amid the sound of a great celebration! Why am I discouraged?
Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Savior and my God! 
Now I am deeply discouraged, but I will remember you— even from distant Mount Hermon, the source of the Jordan, from the land of Mount Mizar. I hear the tumult of the raging seas as your waves and surging tides sweep over me. 
But each day the LORD pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to God who gives me life.  
“O God my rock,” I cry, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I wander around in grief, oppressed by my enemies?” 
Their taunts break my bones. They scoff, “Where is this God of yours?”  
Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? 
I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Savior and my God!

Meditation
(pick one or more passage to reread, allowing your mind and heart to respond in worship)

Gratitude
(consider the ways God has been present in your life and the lives of those you love.  Allow your gratitude to flow as an offering of thanks to God)

Self examination
Often as I consider the majesty of God, I become aware of my own failings.  This is not a time of self-condemnation; instead, open your heart to God’s presence.  Respond to God by allowing him to draw you into his strength, not by trying to find your own.  Accept his healing, his power, his love.

Prayer of presence
Father, we invite your presence into our lives as we go forward into our lives.


Spotify playlist A Light Will Shine
For a printed journal, email Deet.scott@gmail.com 
Much thanks to She Reads Truth for their  reading plan, Names of God. For their complete 21 day plan, click here