Comfort in the Names of God

Comfort in the Names of God

In the Old Testament, God often reveals a new name for Himself when an individual (or a nation) encounters a crisis or challenging event. Drawing from the specific situation, these names give us insight into the character of God and how He deals with His people. In the New Testament, Jesus shows us who He is through the various names He calls Himself. He is the Light of the World, the Living Water, the True Vine, the Bread of Life, and Man of Sorrows.

Knowing the names of God helps us to understand in a much deeper way who He is and how He cares for us. When our hearts are breaking, when we’re overwhelmed with fear, when the needs seem so impossible, we can trust that He hasn’t abandoned us because of what He has revealed about Himself. As we learn about His character, we will see that we can trust Him to walk with us through the valley of grief and loss.

Psalm 9:10 says, “And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.”

Over the next several weeks we’re going to be taking a look at some of the Names of God and how we can draw comfort from them in the midst of our grief journey.

“I will reveal My name to My people, and they will come to know its power.” – Isaiah 52:6

So, let’s start thinking about names! Did you know that your name matters? Your name is like your personal brand – the thing about you people first think of when they hear it. Many names have a special meaning behind them, and they sometimes even describe something about the person they are attached to. Often a name provides an important clue to the nature of a person or place.

People in Bible times took names very seriously! Generally, a name was chosen that would signify an expectation for the child’s future, or that carried significant meaning for the parents. We find many examples in the Scriptures of God changing the names of people when He desired to change their destiny, or to express His future plan for them. Abram to Abraham, Sarai to Sarah, Jacob to Israel, Simon to Peter, Saul to Paul, etc….

When God revealed Himself to Moses through the burning bush, it’s interesting that Moses sought to know God’s Name. In Genesis 3:13 we find Moses saying, “Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you, and they shall say to me, What is His name? What shall I say unto them?”  Moses wanted to know God’s name because the name would tell him something about the very nature of God.

Additionally, people of that time thought that to know a god’s name was to enjoy a kind of privileged access. Once people knew the name, they could cry out to that god, claiming help and protection. This was true not only of the Israelites, but for all the pagan nations around them. Hence, we find a plethora of gods, each of which has a name. When Paul arrived in Ephesus, he even found an altar to “The Unknown God”, just in case they had missed one that they should be calling upon!

God’s response to Moses at that point in time was the simple, “I AM”. It was sufficient for the people to know that He was the one who had existed from all eternity, was existing in the now, and would exist forever. However, as His people began to face new situations, God began to reveal additional aspects of His character by revealing new names for Himself. Because God lives outside of time, always in the present, these names are not just to be appreciated historically. He never changes; therefore, each one expresses something about the way He wants to relate to His people — us.

As God reveals His names progressively throughout the Scriptures, we also see that He is revealing new aspects of His character to us. In the Scriptures, when we see someone facing a new situation or a new need, a new name and character trait of God is often revealed as He interacts with that person. The same is true for us. As we grow in our relationship with Him, and as we face new situations, He will progressively reveal more of Himself to us.

The many names of God present to us a beautiful mosaic, or a jigsaw puzzle. Each one reveals one small piece of the picture, one new aspect of the entirety of the character of God and how He desires to relate to us.

As we spend some time exploring these names and aspects of the character of God, allow Him to speak to your heart in unique ways. Becoming a widow brings with it many, many new challenges and situations that we haven’t faced before. God is waiting to reveal to each of us a new name and a new way He wants to relate to us and minister to those needs. As you spend time waiting to hear from Him for each new situation, you will find that a great adventure awaits you! Who knew He has a name for every need that you have! And maybe He even desires to change YOUR name!

Como siempre, sus pensamientos y comentarios son bienvenidos aquí o puede enviarme un correo electrónico a sheryl@freshhope.us. Si está buscando un nuevo propósito y un camino para seguir adelante, considere unirse a uno de nuestros grupos de Refocusing Widows, ya sea en persona o en línea. Puede registrarse en   ww.refocusingwidows.org/Groups. ¡Esperamos conocerle!