Mensa Otabil - Jehovah Shammah
- Watch
- Donate

Today we look at the name of the Lord: Jehovah Shama. Ezekiel chapter 48, verse 35, reads: «All the way around shall be 18,000 cubits, and the name of the city from that day shall be, 'The Lord is there.'» Our passage for today occurs in an interesting spot in the Bible; it is the last verse of the book of Ezekiel.
So if you read the book of Ezekiel, the last sentence you will find is «The Lord is there.» This concludes the prophecies and revelations that God gave to the prophet Ezekiel. He saw so many things and recorded them, and in this concluding part, he talks about the city of God. God showed him a vision of the New Jerusalem or the new city, and the remarkable thing about the city that God showed to Ezekiel was this writing on the city: «The Lord is there,» from the Hebrew, Jehovah Shammah.
I have said from the beginning that I’m not using the Hebrew word; I’m using the English word Jehovah instead of the Hebrew version. This verse or this statement, Jehovah Shammah, shows us something very interesting about the Lord. It means a couple of things that we want to pay attention to. First, it means the Lord is always present with His people. When we draw nigh to Him, He draws nigh to us. Throughout the scriptures, the Lord assures us of His presence in all situations. He was with Moses in the burning bush; He was with Samuel in the temple; He was with Paul and Silas in jail. The Lord is always present with His people, and don’t ever think that you will ever be in a situation where the Lord is not Shammah with you; He is always there, always present.
The second thing we learn is that the Lord is present where His name is honored. The reason we say that is because Jesus says, «Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there I am in the midst.» When we honor the name of the Lord, when we call upon the name of the Lord, when we worship the name of the Lord, when we praise Him in our praises, in our worship, in church, in our dancing, the Lord is there. When we gather as believers in the house of the Lord, the Lord is there. When you gather as a family in a family devotion, the Lord is there. When a husband and wife gather and call upon the Lord, the Lord is there.
When students gather at the assembly and call upon the name of the Lord, the Lord is there, Jehovah Shammah; He is present wherever His name is honored.The third thing about Jehovah Shammah is that the Lord’s presence is our dwelling place. In this prophecy, God is present in the new city. So wherever God is present, it is our dwelling place; our safety is in the presence of the Lord. We live in the presence of the Lord; we enjoy the presence of the Lord; we have our hope in the presence of the Lord, and wherever God is, we are at peace.
Wherever God is, we have our rest; wherever God is, we are safe; wherever God is, we are protected. We abide under the shadow of the Almighty; we dwell in His presence, and we are safe from the arrow that flies by day, the arrow that flies by night. When the whole world is going topsy-turvy and everything is gone out of joint, we dwell in the presence of the Lord. The Lord is there, and because He is there, we are safe, we are protected, and we are at peace.If you want to live in this world and be assured of safety, then always be in the presence of the Lord, because where God is, that’s where we dwell. We dwell in His presence and in His safety.
Let us pray. Say with me: «Heavenly Father, You are present with me at all times. I take refuge in You. Manifest Your glory through me. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.» I’ll catch you again tomorrow; I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.