RUN LIKE A CHAMPION

It was my first time to visit Africa. The continent was a great mystery to me, and my journey there was a new adventure. When I departed for South Africa, I had no idea I would come to know God intimately as Jehovah, my Lord. I was preaching in Cape Town each evening. Afterward, I would spend time in prayer near my hotel, which was near the ocean. I would sit on some rocks and watch the waves crash against them. I was awestruck at the power and majesty of God.
During those moments with God, I meditated on His nature and character. I reflected on the fact that He is, He was, and He always will be. It’s difficult to describe those times of prayer. I didn’t have some great, supernatural experience. I didn’t see visions or hear voices. I just sat there alone. Deep in my spirit, I had a profound sense of the presence of the eternal God. I knew that I knew He was present with me — and He always would be.
When the week in Cape Town concluded, I knew I was leaving the city with a renewed walk with God. There was nothing specific that God had done in my heart. I just knew I had met with Him. A quiet sense of renewal flooded my soul. I knew that He was Lord and must be Lord over all my life. An evangelist friend and mentor, Mike Gilchrist, was leading a conference on revival with pastors from throughout the country. He asked me to assist him in the meetings.
As I stood to speak one afternoon, something very special took place. As I closed my message, the group of pastors stood and began to sing and worship God. As their praises ascended to the throne of God, the Holy Spirit quietly fell on the group. Pastors were melted in the presence of God. Some fell on their faces and began to confess sins. Some went to other leaders and asked forgiveness for times they’d offended their brothers in the Lord. Still others simply stood in awe in the presence of God. After a long period, the leader tried to close the session but was unable to do so.
Those pastors met with a holy God, and they would never be the same. I knew that somehow my times of prayer in Cape Town were directly related to what happened in that pastors’ conference. When we come to know God as the eternal God, then we also meet Him as the Holy God. The Eternal God is the Holy God. When we come to know Him in His power, we will also discover that He is a God of moral character. He’s holy — absolute purity.
The Book of Genesis clearly reveals both aspects of the nature of God. Elohim is the first name the Bible uses for God. It expresses to us that God is the Creator. The second name used for God is Jehovah. It shows us that the God who created the universe is a holy God. We begin to see the use of the name Jehovah in Genesis 2:4, which says, “This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created. When the Lord God made the earth and the heavens …” The word God in this passage is from the Hebrew word Elohim. But the word Lord comes from the Hebrew word Jehovah. Thus, the God who created the heavens and the earth is the Lord. He’s eternal. He’s holy.
We begin to see the title Jehovah used for God after Genesis 2:4. The second chapter of Genesis speaks of God’s creation of man. It continually uses the name Jehovah. The Bible clearly reveals to us that the God (Elohim) who created us is also the Lord (Jehovah), who is absolute purity.
Adam and Eve met “Jehovah Elohim” (Lord God) in the garden. The God who created them also placed them under His moral authority. When we come into the presence of God, we too will meet Jehovah Elohim. Many people today want to know God as the powerful God, but have no desire to know Him as the holy God. But it’s impossible to meet Him in power and not come under His moral authority. For Elohim is Jehovah.
Revival comes when we know God intimately as Elohim. When that occurs, we will leave with the mark of Jehovah on our lives. We will know Him not only as our Creator, but also know Him as our Lord. Elohim is Jehovah. Get to know Him intimately and your life will never be the same.