Soul Kitchen

It’s been a long time since I looked at baby names and got to name someone. My married daughters look up and discuss baby names all the time. So, when I was asked to join the Soul Kitchen team of writers, I went to the computer and scrolled through the pages of baby names in hopes of finding ideas for a pen name! I wrote down a few options and later asked my husband for his opinion. He liked Amity. With his confidence that this was the pen name for me, I hesitantly agreed to go for it. Funny how, as soon as I accepted it though, Amity felt like a very real part of who I am!

Recently, I also discovered a new name for God as I was reading Psalm 59 in the Bible. How thrilling to continue to discover beautiful truths about God! This is what David calls God – “O my Strength.”

O my Strength, I watch for you;
you, O God, are my fortress,
my Loving God.

We may be familiar with addressing God as “God”, “LORD”, or “Father.” How about “O my Strength”? Try it. “O my Strength.” This, actually, is what I did. I repeated “O my Strength” out loud quite a few times, consciously saying it to God. And as I said it, I pondered the inferences that this name has when I address Him as “O my Strength.” Do I acknowledge this name of God in how I live?

It seems like Paul also knew God as “Strength.”
Look at how Paul describes how he faces challenges.

Colossians 1:29 … I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

Think back to the last demanding or "bad" day you had. (Maybe it’s even today… and maybe it’s been more than one day.) Do you remember your words when you were venting afterward to your friend, husband, or mother? Did it sound anything like Paul’s description? What similar words did you use? Look again at the words David and Paul used in the face of adversity. Can you identify any key differences between their approach and your narrative of your difficult day/s?

“O my Strength”
I invite you to ask God where He specifically wants to be Strength for you in your life...
and just listen…
expecting to hear!

This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says:
"In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength…”
Isaiah 30:15