When God Has Other Plans {God Revealed}

I know I'm supposed to be posting for my third installment of Kids 'n Worship, but something went awry with my plans! 

You see, God does that sometimes. He takes what you want to do and throws it out the window and says 'I've got something else in mind, something better even!' And we've just got to trust Him enough to go along with it!

My plan is to have the third installment up next week Tuesday {or possibly even later this week! Keep checking back!} but for now you're welcome to go back and read Part 1 and Part 2.

Otherwise, stick around now and read up later!

Have you ever had one of those profound moments where suddenly things just make sense? I’m not talking about an all of the sudden I’m a genius type situation. This is more subtle.  And it is definitely more personal. It’s almost like a quiet moment in an empty forest where an unexpected peace and awareness washes through you.

Yea, you know what I’m talking about?! Great, because that is what has been happening to me the last few weeks!

Oh, yes, peeps you read that right....weeks!

How is that possible you ask? Well, grab a cup of coffee {or tea...or cooldrink....whatever} and join me!

A few months back, C and I started getting together on Sunday nights for Bible study. At first why we would study in the room, Hubby and L would have a chat and watch some TV. But since Hubby made his big choice, they've now joined us and we have a couples study!

I feel so blessed to share this with my closest friends and husband! 

Right now, we're studying the Old Testament names of God. The study talks about how in English and many other languages the names are just translated as Lord or God or Sovereign Lord, etc. But these names all kind of sound the same, don't you think?

In Hebrew, the names were much more specific. Names such as El Shadday God Almighty; Yahweh Rophe- The Lord who heals; or Yahweh Shalom- The Lord is Peace are all examples of the specific names God used to reveal himself to us. Knowing God is not the same as knowing who God is!

So with that; the first week we studied the name Elohim. This means Mighty Creator. If you get a chance take the book of Genesis 1:1-25 and replace the name God with Mighty Creator every time you read it. Does it impact you? Does it change the feel and power of the message? Well, it sure did for me! 

The study began discussing what it meant for God to create the Earth. The Hebrew word used here is bara which means an action by which something that has not existed before is brought into being! 

As humans, we make many replicas that seem new. We paint scenes which God made more beautiful in reality than we could imagine. We make music but the sounds we create already existed. We simply put them together in a new fashion. 

Everything we create is fashioned from something that already existed in some form. We are incapable of creating what wasn't there to begin with! We have no scratch beginning! 

At the end of each lesson we are given a task to try and complete in the following week to help us learn more about God in the new name we have learnt. This first week our goal was to take a walk in nature and allow God to speak to us through that.

It just worked out that we were headed to camp that very weekend!

That Saturday we took a walk down to the creek and sure enough God revealed himself. I was in awe at the beauty of this peaceful stream. I was speechless at the idea that every rock was strategically placed.

I could stare at this for hours, even days realizing the incredibly power behind the name Elohim and how much praise is owed for His works!

Week 2 came around and we studied the name of El. This name means God of Power and Might and is found throughout Genesis, Job, Psalms and Isaiah. Is Psalm 22 it says. "My God (El), my God, why have you forsaken me?" Which makes us in turn think of Jesus on the cross crying out "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" This is translated as, "My strength, my stregth, why have you forsaken me?" 

This name El is God encouraging us to call out to him when we are weak and need assistance! This doesn't mean just for physical healing or financial release. It is any area of our lives where we need God to step up and carry that burden for us.

Now is not the time for detail but alcohol has been a big problem in our family through many years. It had almost caused Hubby and I to divorce and has been the root of countless fights. 

I prayed for a long time that we would be healed from this hold. That we would be freed from the chains alcohol had on our family. I prayed that Hubby would see his worth in God and know that he is amazing! I prayed for our dad and our brothers. 

The first to come to God was our middle brother Q. And immediately he started praying too. It took a while but soon Hubby followed and so has Pa. 

The weekend after this study, our family was here to visit. Sure enough, God used this opportunity to reveal Himself as El to me. 

In the afternoon, I looked around at our family all sitting together watching the races. There was no bickering. There were no grudges. There was NO alcohol to be found. We spent a weekend laughing and loving and braaing and everything else and went to bed Sunday night thankful for the kuier. 

El had a mighty power in my family and worked to reward those earnest prayers!!

He is a powerful, hero of a God!

This past week we studied El Roi (el raw-EE) meaning The God Who Sees Me. God was only described by this name once in the Bible in Genesis 16 and it is the only time a name is given to God by a person instead of God giving the name to man. This name is not about God being all seeing or all knowing but it is about how God sees our inner turmoil. He knows our struggles and emotions. He knows our deepest needs and He sees us in our misery.

I'm not sure if now that I'm doing these studies, if I'm not just more aware of God's different traits or if God isn't using these opportunities to reveal Himself to me personally. I think it is a combination of the two.

Now that I am aware of the name, God can reveal it to me so I can understand and experience Him deeper. That was the point of this study and I praise God that it is happening!

I cannot wait to see how God is going to reveal Himself as El Roi!

If you'd like to learn more about these names, please drop by the Prayer Power page for my contact details. I would love to share the link to where we found this study and discuss further with you what each name truly means!

Has God revealed Himself to you in any special way? Maybe through one of these names or perhaps through another? Please share! As always if you'd like to share a testimony anonymously contact us through the Prayer Power page! 

XOXxx

Shana Danae..