Jehovah Sabaoth

By Marta Greenman –

The Lord of Hosts – The Lord of Angel Armies

Have you ever thought you really wanted something, yet when you received your heart’s desire you realized this was not what you expected? That was me in May 2013. It was my second trip to Albania and we were having the time of our lives. There is nothing more exciting than to see plans you have prayed and dreamed about come to fruition before your very eyes.

In fact, that trip proved to be more of a blessing than I ever hoped or imagined. A small team of women had joined me, our mission was to teach women how to teach the Bible and equip them to return to the churches ready to teach other women.

We had heard testimonies from many women who had attended the first conference eight months before. Leaders were being raised and lives were being transformed. Plans that God had placed in my heart many years before were materializing before my very eyes. It was an exciting time.

Albania is a beautiful county with beaches and mountains and it borders Greece; truly a Mediterranean paradise. It was no wonder that one day when I looked up at the mountains and saw the clouds gently floating around the tops of the peeks, I thought how wonderful it would be—to be up there surrounded by the clouds, it would be just like heaven. A few days later I found myself on top of the mountain in a van with the American and Albanian team.

What I thought would be a beautiful exciting adventure turned out to be one of the most terrifying times in many years. And I have had many “adventures” over the last 18 years in over 25 countries. The clouds were so thick we could not see the hood of the van. There were no guardrails, and in places the road was not wide enough for two cars to pass. Although we had an excellent driver it was impossible to see one foot in front of us. We might as well have had a blind person driving the car.

My unbridled fear had nothing to do with my own safety. My fear was that we would go free falling down the mountain and after the crash I somehow survived, while everyone would be resting easy in the arms of Jesus. Then it would have been my responsibility to tell all their loved ones what had happened. This would include my family, as my 85-year-old mother was with me. I just knew my family would disown me! And how would I tell a young boy that his mother was gone and two men that their wives perished on the side of an Albanian mountain?

About that time, my friend began to play a song on her phone . . . Whom Shall I Fear by Chris Tomlin. The chorus’ repeats, “I know Who goes before me, I know Who stands behind, The God of angel armies is always by my side. The One who reigns forever, He is a Friend of mine. The God of angel armies is always by my side.”[i] This was just what I needed to hear.

The God of angel armies, also known as the Lord of Hosts, is the Hebrew translation for Jehovah Sabaoth. Boy did I ever need to trust in Jehovah Sabaoth in that moment!

Psalm 46 gives us greater insight into how Jehovah Sabaoth helps us. This psalm teaches, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride . . . ‘Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.’ The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold” (vv. 1-3, 10-11). 

What a comfort it is to know that God is our refuge and when we are in trouble He is the One who will run to our rescue. Jehovah Sabaoth gave me the courage to stop striving and know He was the One who was going to carry us safely down the mountain or safely home to be with Him. Either way I could trust my God who is over all the angel armies is on my side.

By now you realize that the Lord of Host did go before us and carry us safely down the mountain. He delivered my 85-year-old mother safely home. He safely returned a single mother home to her son and two other women to their husbands. 

What about you? Are you in a situation that has caused fear in your life? Do you need the Lord of Hosts to go before you? Call out to Him in your day of trouble and know that He is God. He is calling you to stop striving and to trust in Him.

[1] Whom Shall I fear, Chris Tomlin, accessed March 15, 2015, http://www.songlyrics.com/chris-tomlin/whom-shall-i-fear-god-of-angel-armies-lyrics/#zBz20xLErTUWPIAB.99

Marta Greenman’s life calling is to inspire others to fall in love with God and teach them how to study His Word to bring change in their lives. She is the founder of Words of Grace & Truth, author of two published Bible studies, Bible teacher, conference speaker, and wife to Marshall. You can find Marta’s testimony and studies at wogt.org.