By Doug Creamer
Who is He?
Have you ever been out and you see someone you know…but they are out of place so you don’t remember how you know them? You know them from somewhere, but you just can’t place them. Then this person sees you and greets you warmly. Naturally, you return the greeting just as warmly…still trying to place them. Has this ever happened to you? It happens to me more often than I want to admit.
My wife tells me it’s because I know so many people. I talk to the stockers in the grocery stores. I talk to waiters and waitresses. I know my cashiers. There are so many people in my professional life that I knew from East Davidson. We have been out of state and people have come up and greeted me. My wife once asked, “Is there any place we can go where someone doesn’t know you?”
Remembering names has always been a problem for me. I will also go blank at the absolute wrong time. I once went to introduce my pastor and couldn’t come up with his name. He laughed so hard at me. Being a teacher makes this flaw very challenging. I go to call on a student and the name won’t come to me. It drives me crazy!
I know that I am not the only one who struggles to remember names. I have seasons when I remember names really well, and then there are days that no one’s name comes to mind. Okay, that is a bit extreme, but I wish I could change this part of myself. I want to show honor to people by remembering their names.
I find it interesting that God is called by many different names. Often the name is related to a quality about God that we need in our lives at a particular time. For example, one of the names of God is Jehovah Jireh, which means God our provider. God provides for His people. Sometimes God will test us to see if we will believe and trust Him, especially in this area. God has always met our needs through the good times and the financially lean times. He is and has always been faithful.
If you are struggling with your health, you may turn to Jehovah Rapha, which means the Lord who heals us. We have all been in places where we needed God’s healing touch for ourselves or a loved one. We cry out to God for His healing touch. I have witnessed and know people who have received a miraculous touch from God.
Some people may be calling out to Jehovah Shalom, the God who is our peace. If you find yourself struggling with worry, anxiety, or depression, then you need Jehovah Shalom to bring you the peace of God, which transcends all understanding. God does not want you to live in mental distress because He can provide the peace you need in your daily life. Even when life seems to be turned upside down, you can live in God’s perfect peace.
I think one of my favorite terms for God comes from what many Jewish children call their father, Papa. The Bible uses the term Abba. It is an intimate term. I believe in the crazy world in which we find ourselves living many of us might need to call out to our Abba, Papa. I was unfamiliar with the name Papa because I refer to my father as Dad. During a season of my life when I was seeking a deeper intimacy with God I started calling Him Daddy. Some may wonder how I could call God Almighty Daddy, but I believe it reflects His desire to draw closer to us. I believe that God wants us to crawl up into His arms and allow Him to pour out His deep love upon us.
Whatever your need in life, I want to encourage you to see God as the One who met you at your place of need. He is God Almighty, yet He desires to draw closer to us. He wants to reveal more of Himself to us. He wants us to see Him as the God who will meet our needs. No request is too big or too small. He wanted a deeper relationship with us so badly that He made His Son pay the price for us. Our salvation and relationship with God cost Him dearly. The good news is that God has opened the door to anyone who will open their hearts to Him. Who is God to me? He is my Daddy. There is room in His arms for you, too!
Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com
