“Names in the Bible matter…
• The biblical concept of naming was rooted in the ancient world’s understanding that a name expressed essence.
• To know the name of a person was to know that person’s total character and nature. Revealing character and destiny… personal names might express hopes for the child’s future.
• But God has the unique authority to give himself a name… so when God gives us these different names for Himself, it’s not to confuse us, or because He’s running from the law… but He’s telling us a little more about Himself…
• To the Hebrew mind, God was both hidden and revealed, transcendent and immanent. Even though he was mysterious, lofty, and unapproachable, He bridged the gap with humankind by revealing His name.
If you are in Christ, this is the God you serve and this is the God we call upon in our times of need… this is also the One we call upon when all is well…
• Yet, if we’re not careful, we worry…
1 Peter 5:6-7 … humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.
The context of this scripture is of humility within relationships… because God honors humility… and opposes pride…
• Being humble in our relationships can cause us fear and anxiety, but we’re called to honor God in His call for humility…
• That’s the specific anxiety Peters touching on here, but the word “all” expands this idea out to everything we could be anxious about…
• To truly give God our anxieties truly takes humility and trust… to “cast” is to give over our fears to God, loosing control of them from our own hands to Gods… that requires humility to relinquish control, to say, ‘God you have this, I’m giving it to you, you know better than me…’ … and to give Him “all” our anxieties, not just the ones that are more distant from us takes trust…
How can we do this?
• You would think Peter would call on these truths of God’s names to relieve our fears and anxiety… that our God’s is so big and awesome that He can do anything…
• But he doesn’t point to that… he points to His care for us… so we can safely “pour our hearts out to Him” and know it’s a safe place…
• It’s assumed that He’s powerful enough to be able to minister… Peter reassures us that He cares enough to do something… *(It may not be resolved in our timing or our desires, but we can trust His care and capability…)
He cares, and He want’s us to find our place in Him…
Exodus 33:17-23
Psalm 62:8
This holy and perfect God who is so awesome that even to look at His face, in our mortal bodies, would kill us because of His greatness… because He cares He has made a place for us… in all His perfection He has made a place where we can be with Him and talk with Him…
• and He calls us to pour our hearts out before Him… because He cares… Yes, He’s all powerful, and that matters a lot… but He’s not cold, He cares…
So today my encouragement is this…
• Humble yourself before God, and trust Him with all your anxieties, all your fears…
• He’s powerful enough to move in them, and He’s caring enough to respond to us…
• so even now, find that place He’s called you to, that safe place just between you and Him…
• pour your heart out to Him… trust Him with your heart, trust Him with your fears… He’s faithful, He hears you, He cares…
It’s time for you to find that place before God that He’s created, and pour out your heart, because He cares… He wants to hear your heart, pour it out to Him and you’ll find you’re comfort and healing there…”
The end of pastor’s prayer was that we would receive something special, a word from God … maybe before we go to bed. I lost my precious dog of 16 1/2 years, later that afternoon. The next night right before bed, the Holy Spirit spoke an old hymn from my past to my mind – “Does Jesus Care?” the words to that hymn are just what I’ve been going through and needed at this moment that went perfectly with the message “Jesus cares”