Calling God by Name

What is prayer? Why should we pray? How and when do we pray? What things should we pray about? Does a prayer have different parts? Why do people fold their hands and close their eyes when they pray? Is a silent prayer as effective as a spoken one? Does God really care about our prayers? Does God answer every prayer?

God’s Occupations

In order to enjoy praying to God we need to get to know Him on a more intimate basis. We all are aware that God is the Creator of the heavens and the earth, darkness and light, silence and sound, the plants, the animals, the sky, the land, the sea, and all of mankind, designed all of their characteristics to the smallest detail. That makes God a designer, an artist, a sculptor, a painter, a decorator, a gardener, a landscaper, an architect, a builder, a manufacturer, a composer, a hairdresser, a biologist, a zoologist along with so many other titles. On top of that God made the sun, the moon, the stars, the planets, the galaxies, etc. He assigned each of them their own positions and made them all exist together in perfect harmony – which was no small feat! He created time, established day and night, developed seasons, and made them work together like clockwork. Even the seasons know when they are supposed to change. God did the same thing for mankind. He created each and every part of us – including our organs, cells, and ligaments. He made them all work together in unity and in constant communication with one another. God’s a programmer, a systems analyst, an astronomer, a scientist, a mathematician, a physicist, an engineer, a dentist, and an inventor.

As the source of all wisdom God is a teacher, a tutor, a trainer, and a counselor. As the One who oversees all of human history, God is also a producer and a director, a coach and a conductor. The Bible says that He is also a judge and a legislator, but since Jesus is our advocate He is also a lawyer. He is our priest, our pastor, and our commander-in-chief. He is our Heavenly Father which makes Him our parent. Since all sixty-six books of the Bible were inspired by God, that means that God is also an author and a writer.

These are just a few of God’s occupations. There are so many, many more that can describe Him. The next time you don’t know what to say when you talk to God think about His professions and I’m sure He will give you some insight that you don’t already know.

Calling God by Name

What is a name? Everyone has a name. What is the purpose of a name? Usually it is to help us identify ourselves or someone else. What happens when two people have the same name? Some people name their daughters Mary and give them a middle name like Mary Margaret or Mary Catherine. The purpose of this middle name is also to identify each person as clearly as possible. In the old days, people were given nick-names based on their occupation (John Baker), interesting abilities they had (Tom Wiggle-Ears), or where they live (Mary Woods).

What about God? Does God have other names? Yes, He does! Even though we usually hear names like God, Jesus, and Lord more often than anything else, God has some specific names for special purposes. Just as a mother might call her child by a nickname to express affection, Jesus called His Father, “Abba Father.” This is an endearing term from a child to a father and shows how close Jesus felt to His Heavenly Parent.

Jesus has a name not quite as well known but still often heard. Emmanuel. Emmanuel means “God with us.” Whenever people called Jesus by this name they were to remember that God cared about them enough to send His Son to earth to be with them.

What is the first name ever used in the Bible? Nope…it’s not God. Have you ever heard the name Elohim? It means “God as a Creator”. The first verse of the first chapter of the first book of the Bible say this; “In the beginning God (Elohim) created the heavens and the earth.” The word El means “mighty” and is used in reference to gods, especially our Almighty God. The ending of Elohim has a significant plural ending that means “there is more than one.” But it does not mean that the gods created the heavens and the earth. No! It means that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit worked together as the Trinity (three in one) to create this universe. Not only did Elohim create all of those different galaxies and planets, He also created the people on the earth. In Psalm 139:14 David king of Israel wrote, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful. I know that full well.”

El-Roi. What does this mean? This name means “the God who sees..” What does He see? He saw Hager when she ran away from her mistress. Sarai. (Gen 16:6-8) He sees us when we are hurting. Perhaps you feel that nobody understands you – or no one cares. You can run to El Roni and pray for help. He will help you.

Adonai means “Lord, Master; and Owner.” But, Adonai is a loving Master; one who will watch over us as we obey His commandments.

Jehovah means, “the self-existent One, the I AM.” It is used more than 6,800 times in the Bible! Moses learned this name while flat on His face before God. The Jews considered it the most sacred of all of God’s names – so sacred, in fact, that they wouldn’t even say it. Some went so far as to take a complete ritual bath before writing the name Jehovah (if they ever had to) and they would write the name using a brand new pen. Aren’t you glad that we as Christians don’t have to do all that? We can say this name out loud whenever we need help. God is so good! This name is so important that the names below are built upon this one.

Jehovah-Jireh means “the Lord will provide”. Jehovah-Jireh prevented Isaac from being sacrificed on Mount Mariah and provided a ram to be sacrificed in his place. Jehovah-Jirah also sent His Son into the world to be our sacrifice. God had provided a substitute for us, so we will not need to die for our sins. But we need to reach out and accept His provision.

Jehovah-Rapha means “the Lord who heals.” God heals all of us – our bodies, or emotions, and our souls. He brings healing when we are sick, salvation to our sin-ravaged souls, and soothing when we bring our hurts to Him. Jeremiah 17:14 says, “Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed, save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.”

Jehovah-Nissi means “Lord my banner.” You may wonder, why in the world do I need a banner? In the ancient times, warring armies brought a banner or pennant into battle. During the battle, they would look up to the flag, and if it was still held high, they would continue to fight with courage and confidence. The Lord will be our confidence when we encounter “battles” in our life as well! Jehovah-Nissi is our banner who will always be held high for us.

Jehovah-Shalom means “the Lord of peace.” The name does not mean, “the Lord was peace.” It means “the Lord is peace”! He will bring us peace as we trust Him.

Jehovah-Raah means “the Lord is my Shepherd.” Most of us are very familiar with Psalm 23. But do you know what a shepherd does? Sheep are not known for their brains – as a matter of fact, sheep are pretty dumb. A flock of sheep without a shepherd would be completely helpless. But with Jehovah-Raah as our Shepherd, there is truly nothing we shall want.

May God bless you as you continue to trust Him!

Jehovah - Raah