JEHOVAH SHAMMAH: The LORD is There - Ezekiel 48:35

Jul 28, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Laying Bound on Your Side: Obedience in Bizarre Seasons

Ezekiel’s 390-day act of lying bound became a prophetic street theater for Israel’s rebellion. His obedience required physical endurance and public humiliation, yet revealed God’s heart to warn His people. True surrender often looks foolish to outsiders—like standing on your head during worship or cooking meals over dung. Yet these radical acts of trust create space for God to speak through our willingness. Obedience in uncomfortable seasons becomes a megaphone for divine urgency. [12:40]

“Lie also on your left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it. According to the number of the days that you lie on it, you shall bear their iniquity. For I have laid on you the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days... And when you have completed them, lie again on your right side.” (Ezekiel 4:4-6, NKJV)

Reflection: What “bizarre” obedience is God asking of you right now that feels uncomfortable or countercultural? How might your willingness to look foolish create an opening for His message?

Day 2: Can These Bones Live? Resurrecting Dead Hope

Dry bones littered Ezekiel’s vision—not just dead, but disintegrated, sun-bleached, and scattered. Yet God’s breath reassembled skeletons into armies. Our “very dry” situations—dead marriages, terminal diagnoses, buried dreams—are resurrection canvases. Jehovah Shammah dwells in graveyards, turning “we are cut off” into “I will settle you.” The same breath that animated Adam’s dust now stirs your dust. [29:46]

“The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones... And He said to me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’ So I answered, ‘O Lord God, You know.’” (Ezekiel 37:1-3, NKJV)

Reflection: Where have you stopped praying because the situation seems “very dry”? How might prophesying life over those bones shift your posture from mourner to expectant watchman?

Day 3: Blood of the Lamb, Word of Your Story

John’s scars and Jeff’s skinny-kid testimony prove Revelation 12:11 isn’t metaphor. Your story—addictions overcome, anger disarmed, loneliness met—is a weapon against darkness. Testimony isn’t polished speeches but raw declarations: “I was there. God showed up.” Like Ezekiel’s model siege, your lived experience makes spiritual warfare tangible. [04:39]

“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” (Revelation 12:11, NKJV)

Reflection: What chapter of your story have you kept silent about that could dismantle someone’s prison? How might sharing it shift you from survivor to liberator?

Day 4: When Man Creates a Bar: Idolatry of Self-Sufficiency

The song’s broken man building a bar exposes our toddler-like “I do it myself” reflex. We craft solutions—pornography for intimacy, busyness for purpose—while dismissing God’s “wait and see.” Like Ezekiel’s temple vision, self-made altars invite disaster. True freedom comes not in taking the wheel like the pope-chauffeur, but surrendering the driver’s seat. [24:38]

“Stop regarding man, whose breath is in his nostrils; for of what account is he?” (Isaiah 2:22, ESV)

Reflection: What “bar” have you constructed to numb pain instead of letting Jehovah Shammah meet you in it? Where is God asking, “Do you think I’m a little God?”

Day 5: Jehovah Shammah: The Lord is Permanently There

Babylon’s exiles thought God abandoned them when the temple fell. But Ezekiel’s throne-chariot vision revealed God wasn’t confined to Jerusalem—He hovered over their refugee camp. Your captivity—whether addiction, grief, or doubt—is His dwelling place. The name “The Lord Is There” isn’t a location but a promise: His presence outlasts every siege. [02:57]

“All the way around shall be eighteen thousand cubits; and the name of the city from that day shall be: THE LORD IS THERE.” (Ezekiel 48:35, NKJV)

Reflection: What exile or prison have you assumed God abandoned? How might declaring “Jehovah Shammah” over that place shift your perspective from orphaned to accompanied?

Sermon Summary

Jehovah Shammah stands as the name of Jesus from Ezekiel 48:35, “the Lord is there.” The name appears one time in the Bible, and the point lands hard because Shammah does not just mean the Lord shows up for a visit. Jehovah Shammah means the Lord is there permanently.

Ezekiel’s life puts flesh on that name. Israel’s exile in Babylon was not a fairy tale Bible story, but a real account with real people feeling real captivity. Ezekiel was taken young, lived in a prison-camp kind of place, and at thirty years old the Lord rocked his world. Ezekiel’s first chapters hammered Israel’s idolatry and corruption, warning that God’s glory was packing up and leaving Jerusalem and the temple. “Elvis has left the building” becomes a plain way to say a terrifying thing: the holy presence of God would not stay in a corrupt temple.

Jeremiah’s eyewitness account and Ezekiel’s prophecy stand together as truth. One saw the disaster coming, and one watched it happen. After Jerusalem fell, Ezekiel’s tone turned toward comfort. God promised to vindicate his own name, bring the people back, and swap hearts of stone for hearts of flesh. A hard heart was not arteriosclerosis. A hard heart was a heart not open to God.

Ezekiel’s strange obedience also becomes a living picture. God asked him to act out prophecies in bizarre, painful ways, and Ezekiel said yes. The call to obedience may lead to places nobody envisioned, even places that look foolish in front of people. Pride and fear of man can steal a blessing when the Lord says, “Here I am, send me.”

Jehovah Shammah also speaks to captivity. Captivity is not only prison bars. Captivity can be addiction, pornography, unforgiveness, anger, jealousy, or anything that controls a person and keeps that person from what the Lord planned. Jesus came to proclaim liberty and set captives free. Jehovah Shammah is the “get out of jail free card,” because the Lord is there even in the place of bondage.

Ezekiel’s temple vision exposes idolatry as self-rule. Man creates his own bars, his own fixes, his own solutions, and sometimes acts like God is too small or too slow. The Lord’s question, “Do you think I’m a little God?” calls fixers to get out of the way and let him do his thing.

The valley of dry bones shows that nothing is beyond God’s resurrection power. The bones were very dry, meaning hope looked gone. God told Ezekiel to speak, the bones rattled, bodies came together, and the breath of God made them live. The gospel does not just make bad people good. God brings dead people to life. The final vision ends where everything is headed: a new city named Jehovah Shammah, the Lord is there. The believer is a living temple, sealed with the Holy Spirit, a living, breathing, walking testimony, living proof of what the Lord has done.

Key Takeaways

1. Jehovah Shammah is permanently there Jehovah Shammah does not describe a temporary visit from God, as if the Lord drops in and then leaves when things get messy. The name says the Lord is there permanently, even when exile, captivity, failure, or fear makes his presence feel hidden. That permanence gives faith something stronger than a feeling to stand on. [03:16]
2. Obedience may look bizarre Ezekiel’s obedience did not always look polished, normal, or easy to explain. God sometimes asked for public acts that felt strange, painful, and costly, but Ezekiel’s yes became part of God’s witness to his people. The fear of looking foolish can become a prison, but obedience brings peace when the Lord is the one asking. [17:39]
3. Captivity wears many faces Captivity is not limited to chains, prison camps, drugs, or alcohol. Anger, jealousy, unforgiveness, pornography, and fear can bind a person just as tightly when they take control of the heart. Jesus proclaims liberty not as a slogan, but as real freedom from the powers that keep people from walking in what God planned. [19:36]
4. Fixers must move aside Self-made solutions can look responsible on the outside while quietly acting like God is too small or too late. The Lord’s question, “Do you think I’m a little God?” exposes the pride underneath restless control. Waiting on the Lord is not passivity when obedience is still ready, but it refuses to play the part that belongs only to Jehovah Shammah. [26:41]
5. Dry bones can live again The valley of bones was not merely dead, but very dry, past the point where human hope had anything left to offer. God’s word and God’s breath brought the impossible back to life. The gospel reaches deeper than improvement, because God does not just make bad people good, he brings dead people to life. [32:29]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:45] - Baseball, Hope, and Opening Prayer
[02:41] - Jehovah Shammah, The Lord Is There
[07:51] - Ezekiel in Babylonian Captivity
[09:15] - God’s Glory Leaves Jerusalem
[11:07] - Hearts of Stone Become Flesh
[11:46] - Ezekiel’s Strange Prophetic Obedience
[15:42] - Saying Yes When God Asks
[18:00] - God’s Glory Beyond the Temple
[18:42] - Captivity and Freedom in Christ
[21:32] - Idolatry and Self-Made Solutions
[26:41] - Letting God Do His Thing
[29:23] - The Valley of Dry Bones
[38:02] - The Living Temple and Holy Spirit
[42:13] - Living Proof of What God Has Done

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Ezekiel 48:35 — “All the way around shall be eighteen thousand cubits; and the name of the city from that day shall be: THE LORD IS THERE.” [02:42]

Ezekiel 37:1-14 — “The hand of the LORD came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. And He said to me, 'Son of man, can these bones live?' So I answered, 'O Lord GOD, You know.' Again He said to me, 'Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, "O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: "Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the LORD.""' So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them. Then He said to me, 'Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, "Thus says the Lord GOD: "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.""' So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army. Then He said to me, 'Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, "Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!" Therefore prophesy and say to them, "Thus says the Lord GOD: 'Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it,' says the LORD.'” [29:23]

Luke 4:18 — “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;” [20:03]

Observation questions

In Ezekiel 48:35, what is the name given to the city, and what detail was emphasized about what “the Lord is there” means? [03:08]
In Ezekiel 37, what details show just how hopeless the scene in the valley really was before God moved? [29:47]
What are some specific examples of captivity that go beyond prison, drugs, or alcohol? [19:19]
What are some of the unusual things Ezekiel was commanded to do in public as signs to the people? [11:46]

Interpretation questions

If Jehovah Shammah means the Lord is there permanently, how does that change the way a believer thinks about seasons of exile, suffering, or confusion? [39:13]
Ezekiel 37 shows bodies coming together before breath enters them. What might that picture teach about the difference between outward improvement and real spiritual life? [36:37]
Jesus says in Luke 4:18 that He came to proclaim liberty to captives. How should that shape the way a person understands bondage in areas like anger, lust, fear, or unforgiveness? [19:36]
Idolatry in Ezekiel was connected to people turning from God and trusting their own ways. How can self-made solutions become a form of self-rule even when they look reasonable on the outside? [24:44]

Application questions

Where does life currently feel most like captivity right now—an addiction, a pattern of anger, fear, jealousy, bitterness, or something else—and what would it look like to bring that honestly into the light before the Lord? [19:36]
When has pride or fear of people kept obedience at arm’s length? What kind of small or big “yes” might the Lord be asking for in this season? [17:39]
Some people naturally move into fixer mode when a problem shows up. Where is there a temptation right now to force an outcome instead of waiting on God and doing only what He actually gives to do? [26:41]
What part of life feels like “very dry bones” at the moment—something that seems too far gone, too old, too broken, or too dead—and what would it mean to keep that area before God’s resurrection power? [32:29]
God does not just make bad people good; He brings dead people to life. How has that kind of change shown up in real life already, and where is more of that life still needed? [37:31]
If the believer is a living temple and the Lord is there, permanently, how could that truth reshape this week’s choices, reactions, and conversations? [38:39]
A living, breathing, walking testimony points to what the Lord has done. What is one part of that testimony that could be shared with someone this week? [42:34]

Sermon Clips

62s

#SetTheCaptivesFree

“``It's like being an addict. When I say addict, your mind immediately goes to drugs and alcohol. And though that's real, we all know that. But you can be held captive by pornography. You can be held captive by unforgiveness. You can be held captive by anger, by jealousy. The list goes on and on. When you let outside forces or outside feelings control you and keep you from doing what the Lord has planned for you to do. You are a captive. You are a captive. Jehovah Shema, the Lord is there, is with you regardless of what you're going through. He is your get out of jail free card. Jehovah Shammah is with you. In Luke four eighteen and Isaiah sixty one one, Jesus declares his mission to proclaim liberty and set the captives free.”

40s

#DeadToLife

“Ezekiel's vision is a perfect metaphor for the gospel message. God does does not just make bad people good. He makes dead people alive. God does not just make bad people good. He brings dead people to life through their spiritual rebirth. Say this with me. God brings dead people to life. God brings dead people to life. Say this. God brings dead things to life. God brings dead things to life.”

51s

#WaitOnTheLord

“So if that speaks to any of you that you're a fixer or you are impatient, I would encourage you to not do that. You're just gonna make it worse. Unless the Lord specifically says, you do this, you just wait on him. I mean, just advice is if you're faced with something and you don't know what to do and you're waiting on the Lord, then don't do anything. Don't don't do anything till you hear from him. The Lord has it, and his timing is perfect. The Lord said, just get out of the way and let me do my thing. Can you say, ouch?”

68s

#DontPlayGod

“So I may be taking this to a stretch, but in my mind, he just made himself into God. He's just saying, God, you can't do that, but I can. I can. He becomes a creator. You know, sometimes we behave like toddlers and refuse help and say, no. I do it. I do it. I do it. God does have a place for us to turn to with anything and everything we encounter. In some cases, man just doesn't want what the Lord has to offer, so he turns to his own solutions. To say that's idol worship, that's kind of a stretch maybe. But the point is when we put ourselves in a position where we think we know better than God, we are essentially worse worshiping ourselves. And that's a dangerous, dangerous place to be.”

70s

#SpeakGodsWord

“In Ezekiel 37, it reads, there is power in speaking God's word. That's what I get out of it. It doesn't read that, but I'm interpreting it. There's power in speaking God's word, and there is power in the Holy Spirit that lives within you if you are a follower of Christ. It's a promise. When you accept Christ, you receive the Holy Spirit. Everybody in here that's accepted Christ within you, you have the Holy Spirit. The bones did not come alive, even though they were put together, until Ezekiel breathed on them. Remember the encounter that Christ had with his disciples? He breathed on them. Remember what happened in Acts chapter one? He told them to wait until the spirit came, and the spirit came. And the spirit is still here today. To experience real transformation in your life, it requires both the written word of God and the abiding presence, the active power of the Holy Spirit.”

75s

#LordIsThere

“So Ezekiel's final recorded vision is at the end of the book. The vision is about a new temple. It has this incredible detail about a new temple and a new Jerusalem, and the name of that new Jerusalem is The Lord is there. And that first scripture that I put up there, that's that's what we're talking about. It ends with Jehovah Shema, a new temple, a new Jerusalem, and it says, Jehovah Shema. It says, the Lord is there. You are a living temple. God's created you, and you are a living temple. And Jehovah Shammah is in you. If we could just catch on to how powerful the Holy Spirit is, the world would be turned upside down. It would be turned upside down. And this is how that's how the book of Ezekiel ends. The Lord is there.”

53s

#LivingTestimony

“When you let the Lord do his thing, you're gonna have a testimony. You can say, I'm a living, breathing, walking testimony. I'm living truth of what the Lord has done. Not what I have done, but what the Lord has done. I wanna be clear. I'm not I'm not telling you that we don't play a part. What we don't do is we don't play the part. We should use our gifts and talents the Lord has given us in dealing with opportunities in life and the devil prints to presents to us, but not try and play the role of Jehovah Shammah.”

43s

#SoftenMyHeart

“After the fall of Jerusalem, this is in chapter 33 through 48, Ezekiel's turn tone shifts from really hammering them about being idolaters to comforting them. He promises that he prophesied that God will vindicate his own name and bring the people back to Jerusalem and swap their hearts of stone for soft hearts of flesh. A heart of stone is not caused by arteriosclerosis. It is caused by your heart not being open to God. Can you say, Lord, soften my heart.”

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