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Jehovah : The Self-Existent One

• Series: Names of God
• by: Rebekah Crosby 03/10/08

Sometimes I behave as though I AM the only person on the planet. I can become an overbearing freak of a person and act like a one-woman show. I have to not only befriend people, but I also feel compelled to make sure they are happy from that point on. I have set countless friends up (some of them actually married -- gosh, I'm good). I have attended parties and flitted around to make sure everyone was comfortable (even if I was not the hostess, blush). It makes me extremely unhappy if someone is not having a good time, and I become convinced that it is my responsibility and I am failing.

How very prideful.

I met someone else who also had this affliction (past tense). She is older than I, and has been a great mentor. I came to her when I was absolutely exhausted with all that I had put on my shoulders. I was weighted down with unmet expectations of myself: friends not coming to Christ was my fault, any trouble in my marriage was my responsibility, the flaws of others was my obligation. Like I said, a one-woman show. She immediately noticed this about my character from her previous struggles and gently pointed it out. Through her wisdom and encouragement I was able to release some of these ridiculous expectations...but I'm not completely cured. Rome wasn't built in a day, geez.

In the midst of Rome being built (or rather, while God was pruning me), my neighbor came bearing something given to him by another church. In the basket there were various goodies, including a pamphlet about how much the Lord loves us. I breathed a sigh of relief because I realized that I was not alone in this battle, God had sent others to fight alongside, other churches and Christians who are also actively serving Him. I'm not the only believer on the planet.

Just call me Mrs. Vain.

This is not to excuse my responsibility for evangelism or being a servant of others. We all have our individual significance, and we must never tire of serving the Lord. I will be able to reach or minister to one type of person because of the trials I have endured (He makes beauty of ashes-Hallelujah!), and you have another set of people that I'll not be able to reach. My mentor was able to minister to me because it was something she had endured and conquered. Where would I be without her? I'd be frantically running the show with a clipboard in my hand in order to keep track of every job, that's where I'd be...the contractor, construction worker and the finisher of Rome.

There are times when we are so self-centered that we become self-contained, our focus is on ourselves instead of Him. We start to believe that we must do everything...that people aren't able to do things for themselves...that life would not be as it should if we were to no longer exist. Pride comes before the fall. It sure got Lucifer in a mess.

We are not self-contained. We were never meant to be.

God, however, is self-contained. He is the one-man show. He is the All-Powerful God. The God that created us. Our Jehovah. He has been in existence for eternity. All of life is contained in Him. Now that is something that gives me much relief. Better Him than me! That is better than a one-hour massage!

Are you weary? Are you worried about your sibling? Your children? Your spouse? Your friends? Do you worry that you're not doing enough, that you're not being enough? You can't cover it all, but He can. He never asked us to do everyone's part, only our own. And we are only able to do that with His strength.

His yoke is easy and His burden is light. He can handle everything because He is Jehovah. He can handle your children. He will not leave their side. He can handle your spouse, He loves them as much as He loves you. He can handle your friend, He knows them better than you do. He can handle your boss, He is Intelligence itself. We can't handle all of these things because we are his creation, created for His purposes. The created is never more powerful than the Creator. Though sometimes we like to think we are...ode to pride with its sneaky tricks.

Instead of trying to run the show and prancing around like we are God's gift to the world, pray for others. If we want to be Rome, we have to let Him be the contractor, construction worker and finisher. He can handle all of those jobs. Our only job is to respond to Him. He is the Great Jehovah, the I AM.