"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?” — Luke 15:4

God is pursuing us. We so easily get this confused and believe it is the other way around. But God initiates the search. 

Henri Nouwen writes that our spiritual lives will radically change when we "no longer think of God as hiding out and making it as difficult as possible for me to find him, but, instead, as the one who is looking for me while I am doing the hiding."

God is pursuing you today. You don't need to hide. He is eager to find you and set you free.

Jehovah is the personal name of God first spoken to Moses in the book of Exodus. God reveals His name to his people as a form of intimacy and an invitation to relationship. The most basic meaning of Jehovah is "I AM".

Roy and Revel Hession, in their classic book, We Would See Jesus, write,

"I am" is an unfinished sentence. It has no object. I am—what? Great is our wonder when we discover...that He is saying, "I AM whatever My people need," and that the sentence is purposely left blank so that we may bring our various needs to complete it!"

Why does suffering happen? Why does my suffering happen? What is God up to?

Dr. Jack Collins states, "Suffering is going to be largely a mystery to us. Getting an explanation can’t be the thing that I need. What I need is assurance that God is in control and benevolent." How do we know this? Where do we see his kindness and goodness displayed? Most clearly on the cross.

 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." —John 3:16

"Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! —Psalm 34:8

Cling to the cross when you are suffering. Take refuge in the truth that God is good. 

Jehovah-Jireh means the "God who provides."

"Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them."   

—Luke 12:27:-30

Immanuel is the name for Jesus prophesied in the book of Isaiah and it means "God with us." Self-effort and religion are based on us trying to better ourselves and work our way UP to God yet the Gospel is the good news of God coming DOWN to dwell among us, love us and restore us to wholeness.

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." —John 1:14

The title the Lion of Judah is a reference to Jesus and his ancestral origins in the family of Judah. It reminds us of his conquering strength, his strong will to bring justice to creation and his triumph over sin and death.

C.S. Lewis, in his Narnia stories, represents Christ with the character of a lion named Aslan who is both powerful and tender.

“Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight,
At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more,
When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death,
And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.”

Jehovah-Shalom means "God is our peace". Shalom also carries the idea of completeness, healing, and restoration. When spoken by the Jewish people it referred to their hope that a Messiah (or Christ) would restore broken relationships, broken communities and a broken world.

Christians believe that in Jesus we find the one who brings Shalom through his life, death and resurrection.

Jesus testified to his identity of being the Messiah and his work of creating Shalom when he said that through his ministry, "the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them" (Luke 7:22).

Jehovah-Rophe means "the God who heals." In the final chapters of the Bible we learn that God is committed to healing our individual and global brokenness. The book of Revelation presents the image of a "Tree of Life" whose leaves are for "the healing of the nations." And in Revelation, chapter 21 we read:

"He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

In John, chapter 10, Jesus says, "I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep."

In using this description Jesus is pointing to at least two important aspects of his relationship to us. First, Jesus states that he has intimate knowledge of us. Because of that, we can have intimate knowledge of him and through him, the Father.

Secondly, Jesus describes himself as a shepherd to uses that knowledge to protect us and care for us. In fact, he says he willingly lays down his life for us. His care is so intimate and so full that he gives his entire self for us sacrificially.

The name Jesus is the Greek version of the name Jehoshua which is what Jesus would have been called by the Jews. When this name is properly understood it can be read as "Jehovah is salvation."

It should come as no surprise when we learn the name Jesus actually means, "God saves."

And where do we most clearly see God's salvation? Where do we most keenly understand the work of Jesus? On the cross of course. We see him and know him most fully in his humble, selfless sacrifice for us. That is when his name is most clear to us.

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
~Matthew 11:28-29

I am the Lord your peace, no evil will conquer you
Steady now your heart and mind, come into My rest
Oh, let your faith arise, lift up your weary head
I am with you wherever you go
Come to Me, I’m all you need
Come to Me, I’m everything

Song lyrics by Bethel Music (Listen to full song)

God is "the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen."

~1 Timothy 6:15

"There is not one square inch on the whole plain of human existence, over which Christ, who is Lord, does not proclaim, 'This is mine!" ~Abraham Kuyper

Because God rules over all authorities we need not fear, for there is nothing God does not see. There is no ruler or authority more powerful than God. There is no person who can overrule God's plan for doing good to you.

"Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"
~John 1:29

In the Old Testament the Jewish people were commanded by God to bring spotless, innocent lambs to the Temple to be sacrificed by the priests for their sins. This had to be done continually, for the people's sin was continual.

In Jesus, we see that he is the blameless lamb, the priest who does the offering and the God who now forgives. Jesus is the Lamb of God and his sacrifice is once for all. Your sin is taken away!

'He is not here, for he is risen, as he said." ~Matthew 28:6

The most critical belief for Christians is the resurrection of Jesus. To believe that He is risen is to believe that the sacrifice of Jesus was enough for your sin, that he really is God and that he is actively restoring a broken and sinful world.

N.T. Wrights says, "The resurrection is the "symbol and starting point of the new world" and "God's new world has been unveiled in Jesus Christ and that you're now invited to belong to it.”