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Praying the Names of God

One way to know God better is to ask him to reveal more of himself through his names and titles.
Ann Spangler is an award-winning writer and speaker.
Published Aug 31, 2017
Praying the Names of God

A graphic image of the words Praying the Names of God

Did you know that the word God is a relatively recent invention? In fact, it is not used in any of the original versions of Scripture written in Hebrew, Greek, or Aramaic. Instead, the Jewish people used various names and titles to refer to God, names like Yahweh, Elohim, El Shaddai, Adonai, and many others. But why mention this in a book about knowing God’s peace? Simply because our struggle to experience more peace is really a struggle to know God more intimately. One way to know God more is to ask him to reveal more of himself through his names and titles as they are revealed in the Bible. By learning just a little bit about each of his names and then meditating on various passages containing them, we may find our sense of peace growing.

Here are a few to get you started.1

  • El God, Mighty Creator is not like people. He tells no lies. He is not like humans. He doesn’t change his mind. When he says something, he does it. When he makes a promise, he keeps it. (See Numbers 23:19.)
  • Yahweh God’s covenant name, the Lord is merciful, compassionate, patient, and always ready to forgive. Yahweh is good to everyone and has compassion for everything that he has made. (See Psalm 145:8-9.)
  • Elohim God, Mighty Creator is our Machseh [refuge] and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble. That is why we are not afraid even when the earth quakes or the mountains topple into the depths of the sea. Water roars and foams, and mountains shake at the surging waves. (See Psalm 46:1-3.)

 

  1. If you want to locate more, you can find them in my books Praying the Names of God (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2004) or Praying the Names of Jesus (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006) or listed in The Names of God Bible, a version of God’s Word Translation (Grand Rapids, MI: Revell, 2011).

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