I am leading a class at church in a private Facebook group as we go through the Ann Spangler book, “Praying the Names of God for 52 Weeks.” You can click that link, purchase the book, and join us! I will share my thoughts as I go through this study. I am copying and pasting the same posts that I make in my Facebook group and what I share on Sunday mornings. This blog is just another avenue for someone to join me as I study the names of God.
Sunday’s lesson:
Thank you for joining me on this journey. First things first, I am not a teacher; I was not given that gene/talent. That is Braxton’s thing. I will probably, no, definitely mispronounce most of these names. However, I have studied the Names of God at different times over the last 10 years. It has become somewhat of a passion of mine. In fact, when Braxton and I first started dating, he and I did a names of God study together. We got The Names of God Bibles, which places in the names of God in scripture instead of just “God.” All that to say, I am not an expert in the names of God, but I am eager to learn and have studied them in the past.
As new and young mothers, I am sure most of us pored over a baby name book and looked up names and their meanings. We wanted to give our child a name that had purpose. Does anyone know what their name means…or pull your phone and look it up real quick if you don’t know.
My name, Amy, means “beloved” or “loved one,” and Beth, my middle name means “house/home”. So I am a “beloved house”… not sure how I need to live into that, but I will figure it out.
We live in an “OMG” society. The name of God gets thrown around like confetti, but it is not normally said in reverence. But what does the name of God mean? Google will tell you it means supreme, perfect creator, or ultimate being. But he has multiple names, and all his names stand for a unique characteristic.
Does anyone know the name of the God that they love? Or is there a name or characteristic you want to learn about?
While we all know God by the name of God, in scripture, God is known by his name and also by his characteristics. For example, when Hagar was in the desert running from Sarai in Genesis chapter 16, an angel of God appeared to her and told her that she was pregnant; she then said to God/Yahweh you are “El Roi”, the God who watches over me.”
In Genesis 17, when God appeared to Abram to tell him of the promise that he would be the father of many nations, he said, “I am El Shadday,” God almighty.
In Psalm 80, the psalmist cries out, “Open your ears, O Roeh of Israel.” Shepherd of Israel,
Yahweh Elohim Tsebaoth, how long will you smolder in anger? (Lord God of Hosts).
In the New Testament, Jesus is called Yeshua, Iatros (ee-ah-tros) for physician, Artos Zoes (r-toss zo-es) for Bread of Life, and, as we just celebrated Christmas, Emmanuel, God with us.
These names are insights into who God is, his nature, and his character.
This week, we will start our study learning about Elohim. Elohim is used over 2,500 times in scripture and about 30 times in Genesis 1 alone. Elohim is our creator; he is mighty, powerful, and all-knowing, and he is our beginning and end. In Genesis 1, we are told how God created the earth and every living thing on the earth. In Genesis 1:26, Elohim said, “Let us make humans in our image, in our likeness.” This tells us that we are HIS Image Bearers. So as we learn more about God, we should learn about ourselves. This week, we aren’t just going to learn about Elohim, but we are going to learn to pray to Elohim.
When we call on God’s specific name in prayer, we are tapping into that power. We are calling on that promise of God. He is allowing us to draw closer to him through his specific name.
I want to make a couple of challenges for you as you study this week.
- Learn the meaning of your name and find a scripture that ties to a characteristic of you and your name.
For example, my name means loved, so I am leaning into John 3:16, “For God so LOVED.” How can I show love this week?
- I want you to spend time with God, outside, in HIS creation. For me, I find it fulfilling when I can get out of “my world” and into His. I need to step outside of the four walls of my house, breathe in fresh air, listen to the birds chirp and dogs bark, feel the breeze as it blows, and know that God is all around me. I need to eliminate the visual “to-do” list and allow myself to sit in HIS presence.
This book is not a daily study; it can be done in one day and probably less than 30 minutes. I would encourage you to do it at the beginning of the week so that you can pray the name you learned throughout the week. However, I will be posting throughout the week if you want more than a once a week reading.
Have a great day with Jesus!
Life on E Street 