Isaiah 56:5 (ESV):
5 I will give in my house and within my walls
a monument and a name
better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
that shall not be cut off.
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God, you are…
JEHOVAH, JEHOVAH-M’KADDESH, INFINITE, OMNIPOTENT, GOOD, LOVE, JEHOVAH-JIREH, JEHOVAH-SHALOM, IMMUTABLE, TRANSCENDENT, JUST, HOLY, JEHOVAH-ROPHE, SELF-SUFFICIENT, OMNISCIENT, OMNIPRESENT, MERCIFUL, SOVEREIGN, JEHOVAH-NISSI, WISE, FAITHFUL, WRATHFUL, FULL OF GRACE, OUR COMFORTER, EL-SHADDAI, FATHER, THE CHURCH’S HEAD, OUR INTERCESSOR, ADONAI, ELOHIM
We know You because of the MANY names, titles, and descriptions You are given in Your word.
We see You BECAUSE of the names You are given.
We delight in You because of this knowledge.
A knowledge that would be forfeit were it not for Your revealing of Yourself through the plethora of names You have divulged in Your word.
You, Abba, cannot be know by a single name and thus You have many. And in those many names, we see You more fully and it causes us to delight in You more richly!
What a wonder that we are graced to see and know Your many names in order that we might see and know You!
A name is no small thing.
A name bears weight.
A name possesses meaning.
A name exposes identity.
A name reveals.
A name makes one vulnerable
A name produces familiarity and intimacy.
What does it say then, that You promise to give those who repent, believe, and follow You AN EVERLASTING NAME?
YOU, give ME, give US a name?
I remember naming my children. I remember the thought process that when into choosing names that would be forever how we acknowledge our offspring, relate to them, and how they would thusly relate to others and to the world. I remember the thought process of what went into it. Sometimes, we chose a family member’s name as part of theirs. In this way, they carried on the legacy of loved ones who came before. Often we chose strong names to represent who we desired them to be. Unique names that would help them stand out from others. We considered the meaning of names as a statement of who we wanted them to be in You before the watching world.
I cannot help but think, as well, of the significance of names in the process of adoption. You gave us the joy of adopting three into our family. Their names changed to reflect their permanent union with our family. This is irrevocable. It is permanent. It forever shows their legal and personal bond with us a family unit. We gave them a name. Our name.
Whether then, it be in birth or adoption, we have partook in the giving of names.
BUT…
To think that YOU give me a name!
And not just ANY name, but AN EVERLASTING NAME!
A name that never ends, never ceases, never fades, never loses it’s significance, never depreciates in value, never wanes in worth, never gets confused in its identity, never fails to know its purpose, or never changes its meaning!
A name that will stand forever as a testament to WHO You have made us to be!
A name that will stand forever as a testament WHO we are TO You!
A name that will stand forever as a descriptor of our relationship WITH you!
A name that will stand forever as the essence of our being with you!
A name that will stand forever as the living expression of our intimate union with You!
A name that will forever designate our standing with You, our permanency with You, our worth to You, our value to You, our identity in You, our purpose in You, our ETERNAL and irrevocable bond with You….
Abba, this is too much to lay hold of! I do not think the weight and significance of this is even capable of being grasped! My head knows it. My heart feels it. But do I TRULY grasp the implications of it? I do not know how I truly could. Being a parent, adopting/choosing another to take my name gives me a glimpse. But I wonder if the full implications will require an eternity to lay bare.
All I know is this…how humbling it is to be given such a name!
How richly rewarding it is to receive a name from you!
How intimately gratifying it is to bear such a name!
How clarifying it is to possess a name that grants identity and purpose!
How redeeming it is know the value your bestow on me through such a name!
How comforting to know the value, and thus protection, you ascribe to me with such a name!
How heartwarming it is to know the intimate longing you have for me through the granting of such a name!
Abba, You grant me….
You grant us…
And everlasting name!
A name that says everything!
In the same way that Your names reveal SO much about You and knit our hearts to You, the name You give to us reveals so much about us, and our relationship to You!
Our everlasting name, granted by You, is a mighty refuge in which we can take sanctuary against the many cares, dangers, and sorrows of this life.
Thank you for my everlasting name!
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1 JEHOVAH
The name of the independent, self-complete being—“I AM WHO I AM”—only belongs to Jehovah God. Our proper response to Him is to fall down in fear and awe of the One who possesses all authority.
Exodus 3:13-15
2 JEHOVAH-M’KADDESH
This name means “the God who sanctifies.” A God separate from all that is evil requires that the people who follow Him be cleansed from all evil. Leviticus 20:7,8
3 INFINITE
God is beyond measurement— we cannot define Him by size or amount. He has no beginning, no end, and no limits. Romans 11:33
4 OMNIPOTENT
God is all-powerful. He spoke all things into being, and all things— every cell, every breath, every thought—are sustained by Him. Nothing is too difficult for Him. Jeremiah 32:17,18, 26,27
5 GOOD
God is the embodiment of perfect goodness, and is kind, benevolent, and full of good will toward all creation. Psalm 119:65-72
6 LOVE
God’s love is so great that He gave His only Son to bring us into fellowship with Him. His love encompasses the world, and embraces each of us personally and intimately. 1 John 4:7-10
7 JEHOVAH-JIREH
“The God who provides.” Just as He provided yesterday, He will provide today and tomorrow. He grants deliverance from sin, the oil of joy for the ashes of sorrow, and eternal citizenship in His Kingdom for all those adopted into His household. Genesis 22:9-14
8 JEHOVAH-SHALOM
“The God of peace.” We are meant to know the fullness of God’s perfect peace, His “shalom.” God’s peace surpasses understanding and sustains us through difficult times. It’s the product of fully being what we were created to be. Judges 6:16-24
9 IMMUTABLE
All that God is, He has always been. All that He has been and is, He will ever be. He is ever perfect and unchanging. Psalm 102:25-28
10 TRANSCENDENT
God is not simply the highest in an order of beings (this would be to grant Him eminence). He is transcendent—existing beyond and above the created universe. Psalm 113:4,5
11 JUST
God is righteous and holy, fair and equitable in all things. We can trust Him to always do what is right. Psalm 75:1-7
12 HOLY
God’s holiness is not a better version of the best we know. God is utterly and supremely untainted. His holiness stands apart—unique and incomprehensible. Revelation 4:8-11
13 JEHOVAH-ROPHE
“Jehovah heals.” God alone provides the remedy for mankind’s brokenness through His son, Jesus Christ. The Gospel is the physical, moral, and spiritual remedy for all people. Exodus 15:22-26
14 SELF-SUFFICIENT
All things are God’s to give, and all that is given is given by Him. He can receive nothing that He has not already given us. Acts 17:24-28
15 OMNISCIENT
God is all-knowing. God’s knowledge encompasses every possible thing that exists, has ever existed, or will ever exist. Nothing is a mystery to Him. Psalm 139:1-6
16 OMNIPRESENT
God is everywhere, in and around everything, close to everyone. “‘Do not I fill heaven and earth?’ declares the Lord.” Psalm 139:7-12
17 MERCIFUL
God’s merciful compassion is infinite and inexhaustible. Through Christ, He took the judgment that was rightfully ours and placed it on His own shoulders. He waits and works now for all people to turn to Him and to live under His justification. Deuteronomy 4:29-31
18 SOVEREIGN
God presides over every event, great or small, and He is in control of our lives. To be sovereign, He must be all-knowing and all-powerful, and by His sovereignty He rules His entire creation. 1 Chronicles 29:11-13
19 JEHOVAH-NISSI
“God our banner.” Under His banner we go from triumph to triumph and say, “Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57). Exodus 17:8-15
20 WISE
All God’s acts are accomplished through His infinite wisdom. He always acts for our good, which is to conform us to Christ. Our good and His glory are inextricably bound together. Proverbs 3:19,20
21 FAITHFUL
Out of His faithfulness God honors His covenants and fulfills His promises. Our hope for the future rests upon God’s faithfulness. Psalm 89:1-8
22 WRATHFUL
Unlike human anger, God’s wrath is never capricious, self-indulgent, or irritable. It is the right and necessary reaction to objective moral evil. Nahum 1:2-8
23 FULL OF GRACE
Grace is God’s good pleasure that moves Him to grant merit where it is undeserved and to forgive debt that cannot be repaid. Ephesians 1:5-8
24 OUR COMFORTER
Jesus called the Holy Spirit the “Comforter,” and the apostle Paul writes that the Lord is “the God of all comfort.” 2 Corinthians 1:3,4
25 EL-SHADDAI
“God Almighty,” the God who is all-sufficient and all-bountiful, the source of all blessings. Genesis 49:22-26
26 FATHER
Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father” (Matthew 6:9), and the Spirit of God taught us to cry, “Abba, Father,” an intimate Aramaic term similar to “Daddy.” The Creator of the universe cares for each one of us. Romans 8:15-17
27 THE CHURCH’S HEAD
God the Son, Jesus, is the head of the Church. As the head, the part of the body that sees, hears, thinks, and decides, He gives the orders that the rest of the body lives by. Ephesians 1:22,23
28 OUR INTERCESSOR
Knowing our temptations, God the Son intercedes for us. He opens the doors for us to boldly ask God the Father for mercy. Thus, God is both the initiation and conclusion of true prayer. Hebrews 4:14-16
29 ADONAI
“Master” or “Lord.” All God’s people ought to acknowledge themselves as His servants, with His right to reign as Lord of our lives. 2 Samuel 7:18-20
30 ELOHIM
“Strength” or “Power”: He is transcendent, mighty and strong. This name displays His supreme power, sovereignty, and faithfulness in His covenant relationship with us. Genesis 17:7,8
*Courtesy of Navigators ministry
A Singular Passion 