Jehovah Shammah: The Lord is My Companion; The Lord is There

Jehovah Shammah: The Lord is My Companion; The Lord is There

One of the topics we’ve discussed many times is the loneliness that widows typically experience. The thing most widows would say they miss the most is just the everyday companionship. They miss having someone to talk to, and they miss having a sounding board to give them feedback on their thoughts and ideas.

Today we’re taking a look at one of the names of God that addresses this need for companionship that we were all created with: Jehovah Shammah – The Lord is My Companion; The Lord is There. How do you respond when you feel alone or abandoned? How do you react when it seems like everyone has forgotten you – maybe even God? This name of God – Jehovah Shammah – brings us the comfort that there is One who is always “there” wherever we are. There is one who is always walking right beside us. And guess what!? We can talk to Him whenever we want, and He’s more than ready to listen.

Technically speaking, Jehovah Shammah is a name for a city rather than a title of God. But it is so closely associated with God’s presence and power that it is most often cited as a name for God. In Ezekiel 48:35 we find the introduction to this name.

“It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be The Lord is There (Jehovah-Shammah).”

This scripture in Ezekiel is where God reveals another aspect of His character. It finds the Children of Israel in captivity in Babylon…where they were to be for the next 70 years! Here is where God reveals that this will be the name of the Holy City of Jerusalem when He restores her to her former glory: Jehovah-Shammah, “the Lord is There”. But this is not only a name for the New Jerusalem; this is a name that reveals much about the nature of God Himself.

All throughout the Scriptures, revealed in His names, we see the heartfelt desire of God to have intimate relationship with His people – to be “there” where they are. We see it first in the Garden of Eden where God came to walk and talk with Adam and Eve in the quiet times of the evening – until sin entered the picture and interfered with that easy fellowship. Later we see God walking and talking with Enoch, Abraham, Elijah, and Moses to name a few.

Throughout the Old and New Testament scriptures, we see a sequence of tabernacles and temples that were built to house the Lord’s presence. All these man-made temples were temporary: God did not stay in the Garden of Eden; the wilderness tabernacle was substituted with a temple; Solomon’s temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar; Zerubbabel’s temple was destroyed by Herod; and finally, sinful people crucified Jesus. Where was the presence of God dwelling after that? Living in those who receive Him as Savior and Lord, and they become His temples!

“Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” – I Corinthians 3:16

“You are the temple of the living God; as God has said, ‘I will dwell in them, and walk with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.’” –   II Corinthians 6:16 

This name reminds us that the Lord is already living among His people. The name most closely associated with it in the New Testament is Immanuel, “God with Us.” This was a name given to Jesus to signify that God had come to dwell among man. No matter what is going on in your life, if you are a Believer, then the Lord dwells within you as His temple.

The application to take away today is that God’s presence is not limited to or contained in the Tabernacle or Temple, but is accessible to all who love and obey Him. The presence of God is wonderful, and His glory goes everywhere you go. What a comfort this is to our hearts when we feel alone or invisible! We are never invisible to God, as His presence is “there” wherever we are! He walks and talks with us. We can be comforted with the thought that He is now our Companion and is available to us twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Day and Night…He Is There.

As always, your thoughts and comments are welcome here or you can email me at sheryl@freshhope.us. If you’re looking for a new purpose and a pathway to move ahead, please consider joining one of our Refocusing Widows groups, either in person or online. You can register at www.refocusingwidows.org/Groups. We look forward to meeting you!