His Name Is A Safe Place

A few months ago, I had the AMAZING opportunity to share my  heart at a women's prayer night at church. I had always meant to post it here, but never seemed to remember to do it. I am preparing for my next heart-dump with the ladies at prayer night on Friday, so I thought it would be best to go in and see what I wrote last time. The topic in mind for this week is definitely different - but funny I should (unknowingly) have one scripture the same. God works like that.

In any event, as I read through it I thought - I should blog this! It needs to be recorded somewhere.

SO without further ado, here is  my heart on His Name being a Safe Place.
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A couple of months ago, I was listening to an IhoP prayer session led by Misty Edwards. If you don't know, IhoP is the International House of Prayer and they are a 24 hour prayer house and you can either go there or you can stream it online. I have a habit of putting it on when I'm at work and streaming from there because its never the same and it always gives me a new perspective on music. Anyway – Misty Edwards is my favorite leader there and I was happy she was on this day. As I listened to her serenading our Lord with His own Word using scripture, I will never forget what she declared. She said “His Name is a safe place” and she kept singing it over and over. She was so sure of this. She was imploring her audience – all those people in the prayer room – to hear her – to TRULY hear her that His name is a safe place.


A few days later, I found that the melody she sang and those lyrics would not leave me. His name is a safe place...I can still hear it. I had never thought about this before. Never really considered that His name – that He is a safe place. I decided to do a topic search about this in the bible. For those of you who don't know, I'm a self professed nerd and I'm ok with that :) I am a thinker and a ponder-er and a research-er... So I decided to use my concordance to try and make some connections. Is anyone else like me – I think in feelings first (I'm emotive) and then I have to really work at making those feelings words and then making those words make any sort of sense to anyone other than me. Anyone else like that?


I was honestly surprised at the amount of scripture there was about this. I didn't expect to have such a richness of Word to pull from. John 17:11-12 says: “I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me.” The premise of this chapter is Jesus praying to be glorified, for his disciple, and for believers. In this particular part, Jesus is saying as clear as day that His name is a safe place. He says that he kept the disciples safe by the name given to Him by His father – Jesus. I believe the Word – and I know some of you do too – and so believe Him when He says His name is a safe place.


What do you say when something bad happens.. what is your almost instant response. “Oh My God” right? How about when something awesome happens? What is your instant response? “Oh My God” .. and I know we might say oh my gosh, but I'm pretty confident the first word in your heart is God and then it comes out as gosh... or maybe that's just me. What do we say when we are totally overwhelmed and at the end of our rope? “Oh My God!” .. What do we say when we are in complete despair and don't know what to do .. “Oh My God!!”.. Do you sense a theme here? I believe with my whole entire being that our souls are programmed to KNOW .. to innately know and understand that His name is a safe place. If something bad happens, we say oh my God but what are we doing? We are calling Him in to the bad situation. “His name is a safe place.” If something good happens, we say oh my God but what are we doing? We are praising Him of course, but we are calling Him into the midst of the situation and hoping that His safety will prolong the goodness and beauty of the moment. His name, my friends, is a safe place. Amen?


Psalm 91:14 says” I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name.” Do you trust Jesus. I am asking you that question – do you trust Jesus? He tells us here that He will protect those who trust IN HIS NAME. Beloveds, His name is a safe place and its a place of protection and love and rescue.


You may even know this scripture – Proverb 18:10 “The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run to it and are safe” Does it get any more clear than this? His name is a SAFE place. Its a strong tower, a place where you can find refuge and have no fear.


I am fascinated with the names of God. Its something I've studied and pursued personally because it helps me to relate to Him – but that's another devotional for another day. I find that if we want to understand God better, we should know the facets of Him...and His names give us VERY clear clues to his nature and His purpose. His names point us to the full revelation of who He is and the breadth of His glory power and greatness.


I've written about this one before, but one day, I was absolutely struck by something and I leaned into the fact that God is El Roi – the God who sees me. Our God never rests, He never sleeps, nothing can be hidden from his loving gaze. No matter how lost you are, or how un-'Christian' you are feeling, You are NOT abandoned and you are NOT alone. He is the God who sees You and His name is a safe place.


Consider El Shaddai ...The almighty and all sufficient God, capable of DOING and PROVIDING anything. You know – that impossible situation that we ALL have, that desire you have to do something but NO means to accomplish it... El Shaddai tell us not to lose heart and not to give up. We serve an all sufficient and almighty God to whom impossible is easy. How could His name, El Shaddai, not be a safe place? If the words almighty and all sufficient do not conjure up a safe place, we need to talk.


I'll give you just one more – though there are many more. Consider Jehova Shammah - “The Lord is There.” In the book of Ezekiel, there is a vision that he describes and he says that the Lord is seated on the throne and He is high and lifted up. This name of God – the Lord is there – Jehova Shammah – is a PROMISE for ALL circumstances you could possibly walk through. When we feel isolated and alone? God is there. When we feel that we have failed Him? God is STILL there. When we are being tempted? God is there. When we pray? God is there. When we come before Him in time of worship? God is there. When we wonder if He can even hear us? God IS there. He loves us and He is on our side. So if we serve a God who is there...who is here in our hearts, then surely His name is a safe place.


I imagine you're thinking – that's all well and good, Dina. That's nice that His name is a safe place. I hear what you're saying, but I just don't feel it the way you do. I promise you this: Everything flows from encounter! I can tell you three distinct moments when I encountered God and where my life was radically changed as a result of it. We were made to know God and be known by Him. I encourage you to EXPECT an encounter w/ God at some point. Seek it. It will change your life.

Paula White recently tweeted “Expectancy is the breeding ground for miracles – there is nothing God cannot access for those who believe. Expect Exodus 14:14 – that the Lord will fight for you, all you have to do is be still. Whatever it is you are fighting, leave the fighting to Him. Don't fight circumstances, don't fight fear, don't fight each other.. just remember His name is a safe place, He is our safe place.


God promised you that His name is a safe place. It is in His gospel of John so there is no refuting it. Luke says Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her. He promises you that His name is a safe place.