What is God's Name?

What you call God matters. It may (and probably should) change with the situation you’re in or the type of prayer you’re praying. But it matters. What’s your go-to name for Him? What do you call Him when you’re struggling? When you’re scared? When you’re angry? When you’re joyful?

Did you know God had so many names?

El Shaddai means the All-Sufficient Once or God Almighty
Jehovah Rapha means the Lord who Heals
Elohim means Creator of All Things or Father God
El Roi means the God who Sees
Immanuel means God with Us

These are just a few, but there are many, many more!

“Let them all praise the name of the Lord, for His name is very great; his glory towers over the earth and heaven!” - Psalm 148:13

Are there any names that scare you? Or make you uncomfortable? Take a minute to think about why. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you why you have a hard time calling Him by that name. That may be something He wants to grow in you. 

As a personal example, I have a hard time using the “powerful” names of God, like Lord of Hosts, or God of Heaven’s Armies. They feel so big and daunting, I think they almost scare me. 

I have no problem calling Him Abba, or Father or even Lord. Those names are comfortable to me, they remind me that He is close and of how much He loves me. Of course that’s still true, but the mighty power of God is just as real and is something I need to become more accustomed to calling upon.

Maybe you struggle to call Him Savior because you don’t feel like you need saving. Maybe you struggle to call Him Father, because you’re still feeling hurt by your earthly father. Maybe it’s hard to call Him Healer because you or someone you love hasn’t been healed yet. 

Whatever it is, ask the Holy Spirit in His kindness and wisdom to reveal it to you. To show you why you many have a hard time with that name and heal the hurt that caused it. 

This may seem like a small thing, but it matters, because there is great power in God’s name. In every name that scripture tells us about. Each name reveals a different aspect of who God is. It’s part of how we get to know Him.

“Stand up and praise the Lord your God, for he lives from everlasting to everlasting!” Then they prayed: “May your glorious name be praised! May it be exalted above all blessing and praise!” - Nehemiah 9:5

When we call upon the Lord in prayer, the name we use has power. If there are names of God that you can’t call upon, you’re missing out on an aspect of His goodness. 

It’s like that friend that changes what name they go by when they get older. You always knew them as “Tim” and all of a sudden everyone else is calling them “Timothy.” It feels a little disorienting, doesn’t it? Almost as if there’s a whole new part of them that you don’t know. 

When we learn and use the different names of God, we learn more about who He is. We can grow in trusting Him and grow in peace to know that He truly does have power over every situation. 

Are you feeling lonely? Call on the God Who Sees.
“Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the Lord, who had spoken to her. She said, ‘You are the God Who Sees me.’” - Genesis 16:13

Are you feeling attacked? Call on the Lord of Hosts.
“You come to me with sword, spear and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Hosts - the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.” - 1 Samuel 17:45

Are you feeling lost? Call on your Shepherd.
“Please listen, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph’s descendants like a flock.” - Psalm 80:1

Are you feeling broken? Call on God our Healer.
“If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and keeping all his decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord who heals you.” - Exodus 15:26

See how that works? If we only know Him by one name, we are limiting the ways He can move in our lives. 

I encourage you to begin searching out the Names of God, and ask Him to make Himself known to you in a new way today.