(Nicole reading a prayer on Jehovah Tsemach which means “The Branch of the Lord” from the book Praying Through the Names of God by Dr. Tony Evans)

I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me, (Isaiah 45:5, NIV)

On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written: King of kings and Lord of lords. (Revelation 19:16, ESV)

Arrogance. Idolatry. Pride. Desperation. Often when I hear the word “idolatry,” my mind immediately goes to examples in the Old Testament of people who worshipped items or images crafted of wood or gold to replace Almighty God. One notable example is the Israelites who, in their desperation on waiting to hear more from God, they created a golden calf to worship after He faithfully delivered them out of Egypt, out of slavery, out of the wicked hands of Pharoah (Exodus 32). You cannot read Exodus 32 and not be affected, grieved by how quickly they turned away from the Lord in their desperation and anxiousness for another “god” of deliverance. I felt a deep pang in my spirit, imagining how the Lord must have grieved despite knowing the fickleness, frailties, and wickedness that reside in the hearts of mankind. Fears, fickleness, and insecurities, that can entice us to “seek another deliverer” because God is taking too long to do what we have asked and things are getting hectic. I particularly felt the Lord’s anger in reading Exodus 32:7-10, in the Lord’s response to his servant Moses in seeing what the people resorted to while his brother Aaron was temporarily left in charge:

7 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. 8 They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’ 9 “I have seen these people,” the Lord said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked people. 10 Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.” (Exodus 32:7-10, NIV)

Although this occurred well before our time, we’re not all that different. Consider a time in your life when things seemed uncertain or uncomfortable. Furthermore, reflect on present day in our nation, when things appear out of God’s control. It is sometimes our human default in fear, fickleness and impatience, that we determine God is “taking too long” and “we need to seek another deliverer.” I believe we are experiencing a time presently when certain “agents” of possible deliverance for ourselves, our situations, our nation and world are being lifted up above Almighty God. Scripture tells us that idolatry arouses God’s jealousy (Exodus 20:3-5) and idolatry brings consequences. Furthermore, only the LORD can truly deliver.

My dear sister in Christ and co-founder of Gathered in His Name, Andrea Radtke and I felt a heavy burden to pray for our nation just a couple of weeks into this new year. As we were discussing and discerning how we would go out and pray, it was becoming more impressed on my heart to proclaim the Lordship of Jesus Christ: the Name above ALL names, the Name above anyone, anything, and everything. I wrote these words in my prayer journal: “Always proclaim the Lordship of Jesus Christ!” On the supremacy of the Son of God, we read in Colossians, “15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. (Colossians 1:15-18, NIV)

On a very cold and windy Sunday, January 11 afternoon, Andrea and I went into D.C. to proclaim the Lordship of Jesus Christ and God’s Kingdom that reigns forever! At Andrea’s suggestion, we went to the Constitution Gardens, a 50-acre park on the National Mall that includes a memorial to the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence. We stood and noted some of the names of the signers. These 56 signers played an important role in our country and history in which some of them remark being guided by the “Divine Providence,” acknowledging a higher authority, namely God, to whom we should rely on for all things. Their names are indeed important and etched into history and in stone (literally) helping us not forget how America came to be. And yet, a Great Deliverer, whose providential eye was and is upon us then and now, requires that His Name be praised and lifted above all.

In preparation for our intercessory prayer outing, I brought a wonderful book gifted to me by another dear sister in Christ. The book, Praying Through the Names of God, by Dr. Tony Evans, lists the more than 85 names of God, each representing a different aspect of His character. We called on His Name Adonai (Master Over All). We called on and prayed to the following names of God:

Jehovah Chereb (The Lord, the Sword)

Jehovah Ha-Melech (The Lord, the King)

Jehovah Malakh (The Angel of the Lord)

Jehovah Tsemach (The Branch of the Lord)

Andrea and I also interceded in prayer for our nation by repenting and asking the Lord’s forgiveness in our straying to seek other deliverers. Moses went before the Lord to make intercession for the people, acting as a priest on their behalf. Commentary from the Life Application Study Bible on Exodus 32:9-14 notes that “God was ready to destroy the whole nation because of their sin. But Moses pleaded for mercy, and God spared them. This is one of the countless examples in the Bible of God’s mercy. Although we deserve his anger, he is willing to forgive and restore us to himself. We can receive God’s forgiveness from sin by asking him for it. Also, like Moses we can pray that he will forgive others and use us to bring them the message of his mercy.”

We then prayed the Lord’s Prayer before leaving the site, reflecting on how this template for prayer commands us to “hallow His name” and pray for His Kingdom to come and His will to be done. God has invited each of us to co-labor with Him to be real participants in bringing heaven to earth, to usher in the Kingdom of God through prayer. I invite you to read this Desiring God article as we pray for God’s Kingdom to come, to destroy the kingdom of darkness, to advance the kingdom of grace, and to hasten the kingdom of glory. We require no other deliverer. We need no other Name. We call on God who has more than 85 names that perfectly depict His character and ability to deliver. May we trust in Him only, no one and nothing else.

-Nicole