“Therefore I will reveal my name to my people, and they shall know the power in that name.” (Isaiah 52:6, TLB)
A number of years ago, a golfing buddy and I got paired with another member, Jim, and his guest, Harry. Jim was one of those guys who was always cheerful and optimistic about life. He was effusive with praise for everything in life. On the first tee, Harry topped his drive and it barely made it to the forward tees. Jim, in his usual style, said: “Oh, Harry, you almost got that one!” After Harry severely sliced his next shot into the tenth fairway, Jim exclaimed: “Oh, Harry, you nailed that one—that’s a good angle to come into the green from!” Then, Harry pull-hooked his next shot and Jim said: “Oh, Harry, you had the right club!”
After another 90 or so of these moments, we were standing on the eighteenth tee looking at a 180-yard carry over a pond to a generous fairway. Harry addressed the ball, swung mightily but dribbled the ball into the water. Jim, as usual, started to say, “Oh, Harry…,” but stopped. It seemed as though he had run out of things to finish his sentence. But then he looked down at Harry’s golf shoes and said: “Oh, Harry, those are nice shoes you’re wearing!”
Because God is known by many names we’ll never, unlike Jim, be at a loss for saying one of his names. I’ve seen references to the number of God’s names, ranging from a hundred to almost a thousand. Regardless of the total count, God has given us, through Scripture, a wide variety of names to call him.
‘God has a name to meet the needs of any situation we may face in life.’
By knowing and using God’s many names, we gain a better understanding of the many facets of his multidimensional character. Dr. Tony Evans, in his book, The Power of God’s Names, suggests: “Learning to know God by His names opens up the door to knowing His character more fully and experiencing His power more deeply…. God has a name to meet the needs of any situation we may face in life. Whatever our present situation, God has a name that fits it.”
We should consider starting our daily prayer with a specific name, depending on what we are praying about. If we are praying for healing, we might start our prayer with Jehovah Rapha (The Lord Who Heals). If we are praying that God might provide for our families, we could begin with Jehovah Jireh (The Lord Will Provide). If we are praying for peace, we can start our prayer with Jehovah Shalom (The Lord is Peace).
If we want to recognize him for his power and might as the Creator, we can use the name found in Genesis 1:1, which is Elohim. When we want to call God our Lord and Ruler, we can use his name Adonai. Whatever the situation we face, there’s a name for God that we can use. We’ll never be stuck saying, “Uh, nice shoes.”
Each time we use and focus on a different name for God, we learn and understand more about him and his character that will bring us closer to him.
—
Mark “Ole” Olson
July 27, 2020
Copyright 2020 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.