Names are a funny thing…
Some couples choose themes or patterns when naming their children. One family I know has seven children all starting with the letter K. They even gave their dog a K name. Another family I know has three children named after musical concepts all beginning with the letter C. By the way, both families go to our church. Do you know them? We didn’t set out to have a specific theme when naming our children; we just wanted them to have Bible names. As we journeyed through the never-ending child rearing years, we found our children all had Bible names and names ending with the “ah” sound.
We chose the names we did for our children because we wanted them to have a name to live up to, a name that meant something eternal, a name that had meaning and substance. Josiah was a king who brought the heart of the nation of Israel back to God. Micah was a prophet whose name means, “Who is like God?” He pointed the people to the Coming Messiah and restoration with God. Hannah Ruth…Hannah was a woman of intense prayer and Ruth left everything she knew to follow after God. And, finally Alethea Grace. Alethea is Greek for Truth. John 1 tells us that the Law was brought by Moses, but Grace and Truth by Jesus Christ. We don’t doubt for one minute that Alethea was brought to our family by the Lord Himself as a gift for us (but that’s another story).
God goes out of His way to introduce Himself to His creation and tell them His name. We see this throughout the Old and New Testaments. According to Strong’s Bible Dictionary, “NAME” implies honor, authority, character. This is a game changer! God’s name implies His honor, His authority, His character, WHO HE IS!
We see in the very first verse of the Bible, “In the Beginning, God…”. God…there! He just introduced Himself to us! God…so…what does that mean? How does the word “God” imply God’s honor, His authority, His character? You have to look at the original language. I am such a geek for this kind of learning. In Hebrew, the word for God in this text is Elohim. The basic meaning behind Elohim is one of strength and power, almighty. God, Elohim, all-powerful, almighty, full of power and strength, created the heavens and the earth. There! It’s right there! His honor! His authority! His very character!
He goes on to introduce Himself to Fathers of our Faith. “I am the God of your father Abraham, Isaac, Jacob.” We have a different name of God here. Jehovah or Yahweh. This name refers to God’s self-existent, eternal state. God always was and always will be. He was never created. He will never die. He knows the beginning from the end. There is so much character in this very name Jehovah that we will never be able to fully comprehend Him in our finite human understanding.
He continues to reveal His character by introducing us to His name throughout the Scriptures. He tells us that He is:
- Jehovah Sabaoth, telling of the sovereignty of God over all the powers of the universe.
- Jehovah Jireh, our Provider
- Jehovah Rapha, our Healer
- Jehovah Shalom, our Peace
- Jehovah Shammah, God is always present.
In the New Testament, Jesus tells us, “I am the Bread of Life. I am the Living Water. I am the Good Shepherd. I am the Door.” Again, revealing His very honor, His authority, His very character.
I ask you, Is God Enough for you? Is His Nature, His Character, His Authority enough for whatever you’re going through in life?
I recently had a situation that made me angry. I stewed for the evening over it. I slept restlessly for hours before finally getting up to meet with God about the situation. I had been relying on my own understanding to fix the situation. That was my first problem. The rest of my problem was God wasn’t enough for me in that particular problem. I wrestled with God for an hour or longer. My flesh wanted to be victorious and figure this out, but my spirit knew this was God’s battle…not mine. As I worked to hold my thoughts captive and to renew my thinking, I was drawn to the nature of God.
Self-existent, Eternal God (Jehovah), You are the Beginning and the End. You know the beginning from the end. This situation is only but a speck on the timeline of eternity to You, my Almighty, All Powerful, Full of Strength and Might God (Elohim). I can rest in Your Peace (Jehovah Shalom) knowing that You are the Good Shepherd who cares for my every need. You will Provide (Jehovah Jireh) the answer and the way (I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life) through this trial and tribulation. My heart and mind need only to rest in You and keep my eyes on You.
What are you going through? Is God enough? His very Name proclaims that He is.
Blessings!
Valerie