Lord, I Want to Know You A 5-Day Reading Plan from Kay ArthurSampl

God the Self-Existent One

Of all the names of God, Jehovah is the name most frequently used in the Old Testament—6,823 times, in fact!

The name of Jehovah is derived from havah, which means “to be, to become.” Therefore, Jehovah speaks to God’s being or essence. 

Jehovah is the self-existent One—“I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:13-­15). He is the eternal I AM, the Alpha and the Omega, the same yesterday, today, and forever. All of life is contained in Him. Why do we look elsewhere? Why do we not rest in His unchangeableness? He has never failed. Would He begin with me or you? He cannot. He is Jehovah, the self-existent, covenant-keeping God. 

Although Jehovah was used as early as Genesis 2:4, it wasn’t until God’s revelation to Moses in Exodus 3 that the Israelites understood that this name went with God’s covenant promise to His people. Exodus 6:2-4 says, “I am the Lord [Jehovah]; and I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as God Almighty [El Shaddai], but by My name, Lord [Jehovah], I did not make Myself known to them. And I also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they sojourned.” 

Jehovah fulfilled the covenant He had made with Abraham regarding the land of Canaan. Therefore, the Israelites returned to Canaan after four hundred years of bondage in Egypt (Genesis 15:13-21). God revealed Himself to His covenant people as the unchanging God who remains faithful throughout many generations. 

When you need assurance that God is there, that He will keep His promises without changing—even though you have wavered in your promises to Him—run to your Jehovah. Trust in His name. It can’t change because He can’t change. He is Jehovah—the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). 

Lord, I thank you for keeping Your promises to me. Why would I ever look elsewhere for peace?