Well, with summer behind us, as well as many of those "pesky" bugs, at least let the experiencereally know the Lord, think of Him in a similar light—a pesky God who is just hiding around the corner, waiting for the opportunity to ambush them, and maybe even jab them. But, oh, are they mistaken—even more so than little Billy. The Scripture is very clear—He is Jehovah-Shammah, the Lord who is there—there with us and in us, but not for the purpose of hurting us. Our God is there for an entirely different reason—to draw us to Himself!
of these two adventurers make a powerful point. Many people today, who don't
In the days just prior to the Babylonian Captivity of Israel, brought about by sin, Ezekiel prophesied that the presence and the glory of God was about to vacate the temple—from the Holy of Holies, to the temple entrance, and finally, ascending from the famed Mount of Olives. (9:3; 10:4,18; and 11:23) It had become "Ichabod"—the glory is departed! At the very end of his book, the prophet describes, in awesome detail, the millennial habitation of the Glory, and concludes with these words—"…and the name of the city from that day shall be, The Lord is there." (48:35) This powerful description of the Lord's eternal presence is intended to be seen in stark contrast to the disobedience that caused the vacating of the premises in the first place. King Solomon, who built the original temple, saw the truth of it—"But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have built." (1 Kings 8:27) Yes, no matter what comes our way, will we see that the Lord is there—even where we are?
Dr. John Macbeth once wrote, "Where is that Presence to be found, and under what circumstances may men find it? It may come to men in some ambushed hour, when least expected; it may be encountered in some bleak spot far removed from temple or shrine; it may be mediated through our friendship, looking at us with human eyes and touching us with human hands, creating for us the experience of the name Jehovah-Shammah, 'The Lord is there.'" Throughout all of time, we can see the ambushed hours that come upon us, but can we see the Lord right there in the middle of it all? For example, Abraham's grandson, Jacob, was forced to leave home due to his trickery towards his own family. Coming to the vast wilderness of Luz, and exhausted from his journey, he laid down on the ground with a rock for his pillow. While he slept, the Lord came and dealt with his heart by giving him a dream of angels ascending and descending. Waking up in astonishment of the amazing presence of God, Jacob exclaimed, "Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not."(Gen. 28:16) Thinking he was alone and feeling ambushed by the hour that was upon him, he actually found that it isn't the circumstance that ambushes. No, it is really God who had him in His sights—not to blast him, but to bow him to His Glory!
We see it again much later in the days of the Babylonian Captivity. In Daniel 3, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow down in homage to the king and his newly erected statue, even though they were faced with the prospect of the fiery furnace. When the king peered in, he asked how many had been thrown in—to which they answered, "Three!" The king then answered, "Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God." (vs.25) All would quickly learn that with Jehovah-Shammah, there is always One more than the visible number, for the fiery flames could not exclude the One who had made all of the elements—it was indeed their ambushed hour!
It is obvious in the New Testament, as well. Jesus, choosing the unusual—as He often did—passed through Samaria, instead of traveling around it. He had not come to by-pass people who needed Him. Lo, and behold, He met a woman at Jacob's well, at a very unusual hour. Most women came very early in the coolness of the morning, but this woman had come about the 6thrd"Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for thou art with me." Jonah also learned God could be found in the most unlikely hour and place, for his ambushed hour took place in a fish!
hour—12 noon, when no one else would be there. Feeling ostracized due to her shady past, little did she know this would be her ambushed hour. Quite unexpectedly she would meet the only One who could know all she had ever done. In that hour, she drew water out of the well of salvation, for she had found her Jehovah-Shammah. For Him, no place is inaccessible; no time is inconvenient. David, the great psalmist, found Him to be his rock and fortress. (Ps. 18) In Psalm 139, he also wondered where he could flee to and be far from the Divine Presence. In the 23 psalm, he writes,
And not just in Biblical times, but He has been there every day since. Herbert Lockyer once wrote, "The continuous experience of those saints whose lives are full, either of constant movement or of a fixed abode, is that of the sense of the guiding and guarding Presence of Jehovah." David Livingstone, the famous missionary-explorer, often claimed to base his life on the words of Jesus in Matthew 28—"Lo, I am with you always even unto the end of the world." Concerning this Scripture, he often remarked, "That's the word of a perfect gentleman, and that's the end of it." Mary Slessor, the jute worker from Dundee, who became a very famous missionary and was often called, "the Uncrowned Queen of Calabar", once said, "If I have ever done anything, it is because He always went in front." When John Bunyan, the renowned Puritan preacher and author—best known for his "Pilgrim's Progress"—found himself in the Bedford jail for his faithful witness, he confessed that his Savior came into his cell and that every stone shone like jasper. Oh, sure, many today who don't want to die to self and submit to Him, will declare, "He is nowhere!" But the true Christian can cleave that right in half, and say clearly, "He is 'now/here!'" Oh, Jehovah-Shammah—the Lord who is there!
It is also true today! Not one of us knows what lies ahead for us, even this very day. Whether it be in our homes, at our places of business, in school, or even out in our travels, how prepared are we for that hour of ambush? If, however, we remember that our Lord is right there, we can know, if we are in obedience to him, it will be to bless, to guide, and to undertake. What strength we will have for the trials and afflictions ahead if we will just remember the promise of Isaiah 43:2—"I will be with thee." The Psalmist declared that He would always be a very present help in times of trouble. The author of Hebrews stated it very powerfully when he quoted the Lord, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." (13:5) Did you know that this is probably the only statement in the Bible that you can read backwards, and it still means the same thing? Backwards, it reads, "Thee forsake, nor thee leave, never will I." Backwards, forwards, upside-down, or right-side-up—it's all the same, Jehovah-Shammah; yes, He is indeed there!
Returning now to Ezekiel's description of the Glory of God departing from the temple, let's see it in light of the fulness of God's word. That state of "Ichabod" was not intended to be ongoing. In all of these years since the days of Jesus, the Church of Jesus Christ was intended to be filledfirmly plant His feet upon it. Any guesses where? Zechariah 14:4 tells us, "And His feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east…" Yes, the very place from where the Glory of God had departed in Ezekiel's prophecy is the very place where Jesus ascended into Heaven—and where He will return! In the mean time, the true Church will no longer live under the banner, "Ichabod," but now it will read, "The Glory of the Lord is right here!" So, the next time those pesky bugs of difficult circumstances, afflictions, and trials come looking for you—even with their beaming flashlights, know this—The Lord is there! with His glory. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was sent down to indwell God's people like never before. Since then, all who have absolutely surrendered to the life of God within them, have been set free from sin and have been empowered to manifest His presence. Following the Rapture, when the true overcoming Church will meet the Lord in the air (1 Thess. 4:17), Jesus will come again to this earth and
