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| What's in a name? |
"I will extol you, my God and King,
and bless your name forever and ever." Psalm 145:1-2
Names
I asked my students this past week if they knew the meaning of their name. Some did, but many did not.
So, I wrote some names on the board along with their meanings. The kids were interested, especially since some of their names were on the board:
Peter- the rock (foundation)
Ruth- loyal friend
Alexander- defender of men
Nathaniel- gift of God
Adam- man
Eve-woman
Names of God
It was fun to see them realize that names have meaning. Some students knew the origin of their names: family members, special family friends, movies, songs, etc.
But very few knew the meaning.
I took a class a while back about the names of God that are listed in the Bible. It was very encouraging to discover His names and their meanings.
Is it no wonder that we, His creation, desire to be named something special? We were created in His image.
I spent the last few weeks praying that God's name would be set a part as holy by all His saints.
I acknowledged that His name a lone is worthy of our praise and adoration. No other name in heaven or on earth deserves such glory.
Worship
Want an amazing worship experience in your prayer time this week?
Begin by praising God's holy name. Ask that His name be set apart, sanctified, on earth by every living thing. Pray that His name would not be slandered or used as a curse word. Pray that His saints, all believers who call upon His name, would set it a part as holy.
You will experience that feeling of His holy presence as you pray.
Jesus taught us to pray this way for a reason....
God's name means something.
Blessings,
Ruth
So, if God's name is holy and to be sanctified, shouldn't we know and use his name?
ReplyDeleteSteve,
DeleteYes! We are to know ALL the names of God. Each one has a special meaning. We are to pray God's name, cry out to Him, and honor His name. But most people curse His name or use it inappropriately.
Ruth,
DeleteWhile I would agree that God has has used many descriptive names ( are mostly titles) of his many qualities to be applied at specific times and events, he has only one personal name.
Even though there are many nationalities in the world today, at one time there was only one race of people, one language. It was until the tower of Babel incident when the one language was confused (meaning that confusion was due to God crating multiple languages so they could not understand each other). But God's name stayed the same. He did not change his name to suite each one of these languages.
I believe the scripture Mathew 6:9 begins with our Father, who is in heaven:
1. Holy be your name.
2. Sanctify your name.
3. Hallowed (make holy; sanctify) be thy name.
4. My you name be kept holy.
No where in any Bible i have read does it state "names". Just the singular name.
In the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament), God's naw was represented by four letters, YHWH or JHVH, called the Tetragrammaton. God's name, represented by these four consonants, appears almost 7,000 times in the original "Old Testament," or Hebrew Scriptures.
So why it is not wrong to use a form like Yahweh, it is just that the form Jehovah is likely to meet with a quicker response from the reader because it is the form that has been "naturalized" into most languages. The important thing is that we use the name and declare it to others. "Give thanks to Jehovah, you people! Call upon his name. Make known among the peoples his dealings. Make mention that his name is put on high."—Isaiah 12:4
So very true! I have been a believer since I was 7 yet never was taught about the names of God until I was in my 30s!! People need to know.
DeleteSo, when you pray, do you use God's name?
Delete