What’s in a name? Today, in our culture, people don’t think much about what a name means. In times past, most last names were related to the profession of the person. For instance, the surname Taylor may be traced back to an ancestor who was actually a tailor.
In an even greater way, the names of God actually express who He is and who He wants to be in our lives. One of the greatest ways to know God is to know His names. If we want to know God, then we will be eager to discover how He identifies Himself. There is a progression that happens as we study the meaning of God’s names:
Our foundations of faith, hope, and confidence grow.
Our relationship with the Lord deepens.
His blessings and miracles flow more freely and frequently.
Our prayers and faith explode in power with the realities of who God is and wants to be in our lives. Rather than coming to God begging Him to help us, we boldly receive and enter into who He already is and what He has already done for us.
Let’s look at just a few of the names of God as revealed in His Word:
Jehovah Tsidkenu: The God who is our righteousness
Jehovah Mekoddishkem: The God who sanctifies us
Jehovah Shalom: The God who fills us with His peace
Jehovah Rohi: The God who is our shepherd and guide
Jehovah Jireh: The God who provides
El Shaddai: The God of more than enough
Jehovah Rapha: The God who heals us
El Roi: The God who sees me
Jehovah Nissi: The Lord is my banner of victory
Jehovah Tsuri: God is my rock
Jehovah Sabaoth: The Lord of hosts
El Olam: The eternal God
Jehovah Shammah: The God who is there
Immanuel: God is with us
Notice that every one of God’s names relates to His love and commitment to His people. The names of God do not express some intangible power “out there” in the universe. The names of God carry substance. These names express God’s longing and ability to take care of us. Our God never intended His people to try to get by on their own. From the beginning, God’s longing has been for you. He wants to know you, and He wants you to know Him. He desires continual interactions with those who love Him and have chosen Him. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Let God Be God
Perhaps you can see more clearly now that our God is “God Almighty”! I trust the Lord to reveal Himself to you. For those of us who have had strong and faithful fathers, we can identify with the concept of God as our Father. If your human father has failed you or, worse, broken your heart, please know that God the Father in heaven desires earnestly to be your Father now. He will not break your heart but mend it. He will not fail you but do all He can to prove His love to you.
God’s longing from the beginning of time, way back when He created Adam and Eve, was to have a family He could interact with, walk with, and grow with. God in heaven still desires to have a family, and He wants to adopt you! I encourage you to let God be God. Let Him adopt you and bring you into His family. As I am writing this, I am moved to tears feeling the love and awe of my Father’s presence so strongly around me. I know that His Spirit is not here just for me to enjoy, but for you to sense as you read this. I feel Him drawing me and you closer to Him, even now.
