God Names | Devotional

Delve into the richness of biblical scriptures as we explore the significance of God's various names, providing daily reflections and prayers for a deeper understanding of your faith journey.

Because bad dads get a lot of press these days, it’s difficult for many to view God as a father. In our society of fractured families, far too many grow up with weekend-only fathers—or no fathers at all.

You probably don’t remember when the Ford Model T dominated the automobile world, crushing all rivals. Or when the release of the new Sears catalog was as big a deal as the release of a new iPhone. How about when Internet Explorer was the only web browser and nobody Googled anything?

Maybe you hear the title Lord and immediately think of some old movie about Victorian England, featuring Lord and Lady Blabbington living a privileged life with dutiful servants rushing about, tending to their every whim.

When you’ve got relationship troubles, or confusion about what to do next, or regret over past mistakes, where do you turn? What or whom do you lean on? In Psalm 25, we read that David found encouragement in placing his hope in God (verse 5).


Few things are as terrifying as a massive wildfire. In the face of a raging inferno, there’s nowhere to hide, nowhere to run. Often our most sophisticated fire-fighting tools are impotent.

Maybe you’ve heard someone argue that the various world religions are just different paths to a common destination. God is on the top of a mountain, so to speak, and it doesn’t matter which upward road you take—in the end they all lead to the same place.

The Hebrew prophet Isaiah wrote that God was there in the beginning—“with the first”—and He will be here “with the last” (41:4). In other words, God serves as bookends for history.

We’ve all seen cartoons that picture God as a robed and bearded old man, sitting on a throne, maybe leaning on a scepter for strength. Even Michelangelo’s famous painting in the Sistine Chapel, The Creation of Adam, pictures God in this way.

To help us understand the character of God, the writers of the Bible relied on objects and images from everyday life. Most of us have seen, for example, a big boulder. We also know firsthand what a dad is, so we can draw on those experiences when Scripture likens God to a rock or calls Him our Father.

We are introduced to God as Creator in the first sentence of the Bible: “Bereshiet bara Elohim” (“In the beginning God created”). But the Almighty’s relationship with His creation certainly doesn’t end there on the very first page.

Moses had the privilege of reminding the Hebrew people about their God and King, Yahweh. The children of Israel who came under Moses’ leadership had painful memories of four hundred years of servitude to a series of Egyptian rulers.

Legend has it that King Arthur met with his lords and knights at a round table so they would perceive one another as equals. This concept did not die with ancient times; today’s United Nations has rules in place—and even seating arrangements—to try to make people from all countries feel equal.

Fill in the blank: “____________ means everything to me!”
Everybody has an “everything.” Maybe it’s a spouse or children or a circle of friends. It could be high enough scores to get into a certain degree program.

The Hebrew word El (which is derived from a root word meaning “power, might, or strength”) is the most basic Hebrew word for god (referring to pagan gods) or God (referring to the God of Israel, the one true God).

Moses was the first person—as far as we know—to call God “the living God” (Deuteronomy 5:26). This designation placed the Israelites’ God in sharp contrast with the deities of their neighbors.

When two strangers meet and exchange handshakes and names, the inevitable first question is “So, what do you do?” A professional athlete might respond with, “I’m a linebacker for the Ravens.” A businessperson might reply, “I’m the VP of Sales for ABC Corporation.”


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