The Names of God

Knowing the Hebrew names of God helps people understand who God is. This is beneficial because then God’s character becomes relevant and specific versus general. For example, we might pray God bless me today. This is a general prayer, but when I know who God is and what the word says about Him, I can say Jehovah Jireh, my provider, bless me today. Same prayer, but now I have added some authority by knowing and speaking exactly who God is.

My non-spirtual example of this is, before I became a mom I could tell parents what they could do from a teacher perspective only, but once I became a parent, my advice became more relevant because I was able to speak from both a teacher and parent perspective.

Lots of people might agree God exists and is present, but Jeremiah 29:13 says You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. You've got to know who God is personally for yourself. Matthew 21:22 says If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer. Well if I don't know God is Jehovah Rapha (Exodus 15:26), how do I know I can ask for healing? If I don't know God is Jehovah Rohi (Psalm 23), how do I know He is my Shepherd and will lead me? The names of God make the word of God personal. Isaiah 9:6 calls him, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Kristy you are on point when you say understanding the names of God in Hebrew makes the Word of God more personal. In James 4:8 God says if you draw near to Him, He will draw near to you. I appreciated your example of having different perspectives of who you are and how you relate to others, I agree the same is true with God. He is one God but there are different names of which to draw power and prayer for a specific thing. Praying a specific and intentional prayer lets God know what you are truly seeking and helps create a more intimate relationship with Him.

Kristy, you hit the bullseye saying when we use the Hebrew Names of God, we build a more personable relationship with God. Yes, He is one God with many names! I too love His Hebrew name, Jehovah Jireh, meaning, God that meets our needs, our provider. The first mention of this Hebrew name of God, Jehovah Jireh, is found in Genesis 22 Jehovah Jireh appears after the Lord showed Himself to Abraham based on meeting his needs. Jehovah Jireh, the God who meets our needs. God bless you and His provision in your life!