Blog

by Bill Lawrence - President of Leader Formation International

O, LORD, our Lord,
How majestic is your name in all the earth
Psalm 8:1
  

There is much that we know about God—all the Old Testament writers, the Gospels, the epistles, the Revelation of Jesus—tell us about God, yet there is so much that we do not know in our relationship with the LORD God because many of us don’t know Him personally in the same way David did. Many of us do not know YAHWEH intimately as David knew Him as a shepherd when he walked through the meadows and along the streams and in the canyons and over the hills near Bethlehem, or as he lay on the plains during the dark nights and through the brilliant dawns or in the beautiful sunsets. In those moments he heard the howling of the wolves, the roaring of the lions and the growling of the bears. Still, consider what it is like when we sense His presence with us as He reaches out to us and wants us to know Him in the deepest way possible. Oh, how great that is!

What was it like for shepherds as they listened to the baas of sheep and the cries of the just-born lambs and the calls of the ewes as they gave birth to their barely alive little ones? How wonderful it must have been at the marvel of Yahweh, the eternal YAHWEH, who gave new life to all who responded to Him. And to know that He is my shepherd, that He cares for me with all my flaws and all my needs and all my struggles and all my lacks. Still He cares for me. I matter to Him. Despite the useless stress, the arrogant pride, and the waste of self-promotion, Jesus is committed to me and has redeemed me and will deliver me from my emptiness to His eternal purpose for His glory. What could be more amazing? 

It is no wonder that David wrote his awesome words so long ago that are still great beyond our imagination.
 

O, LORD, our Lord,
How majestic is your name in all the earth,

Stop this very moment, no matter what you face, no matter what you fear or hope or celebrate, whether you have joy or struggle or sadness or shame or rejection, no matter what it is, stop and think of the fact that YAHWEH, the One who formed you and made you who you are and designed you to be His leader has a plan and a purpose for you. And it is not small or unimportant or unessential. Not at all. It is in fact eternal. The tasks He has assigned for you will bear eternal fruit in His time. It may be a decision by your board or a discussion by those who disagree with you or a debate by some who want to advance you. These are very critical considerations, but Yahweh is involved, and His name is at stake and you are involved.

Yet there is more at stake, more reason to focus on Him and His greatness, more than your fears or your success, is essential to Him. There is integrity, truth, holiness, the salvation of men and women, for the well-being of children, this and more is always at stake for Him. Nothing of your success matters as much to Him as who He is and what He is working to accomplish as Lord. First He is YAHWEH, the great I AM. But He is also Adonai, the Lord, the creator of all that is in Genesis 1, the All-Powerful One who will demonstrate that through you. Isn’t that amazing?! That the All-Powerful One will demonstrate His power through your weakness. How can this be? Yet He does, even as He did through David, the boy becoming a lad, a harper becoming a warrior, the warrior becoming His ruler the King.
 
Bow down before Him. Honor Him. Exalt Him. Humble yourself before Him. Lift Him up. Praise Him. Worship Him. He can reveal His greatness through you if you will worship and trust Him. 

Stop thinking about the issues you face. Stop thinking about those who are against you. Those who oppose you and resist you. Those who work to replace you or have plans to limit you or hinder you. Didn’t Jesus realize that you must take up the cross? Don’t you know that everyone who wants to be a Jesus kind of leader must take up the cross daily, must enter the grave daily, must rise from the grave daily? We never escape from the reality that the resurrection is not a one-time event in our lives but a daily struggle. Sin has a very deep root in our hearts, a daily depth of understanding and awareness that we must face to be God’s kind of leaders. We do lead to accomplish amazing achievements for the LORD who is Lord, that is, He is YAHWEH who is Adonai. To be aware of this, live out this awareness, demonstrate this struggle, strive to be desperately dependent on Him, express His power through your weakness and accomplish His purpose daily for His glory.

YAHWEH is Adonai
I AM is our Lord!
 
What could we greater?
 
Worship Him daily, Trust Him daily, Depend on Him daily
 
He will reveal Himself daily