Powerful
Names of God
A study of some of the names of God in the Old Testament
The strength and wonder made available to us in crying out to Yahweh Yireh is immeasurable. In crying out to him, we will strengthen our faith in his miracle working power and renew our patience in time of trials. The Lord will provide.
His is our banner; our leader, commander, protector, guide and victory. He is so much more than the one who is in battle with us.
God can do the supernatural and make something of nothing. We have to stop limiting our thinking to that which we imagine and open ourselves to what God can do, what he sees.
You see, in my wanderings of the words of the Bible, I came to see more clearly that rock, strength, refuge and fortress are indeed different – they are all places of safety, but the fortress is a place of safety specifically when under attack.
We cry out to Him all the time for healing of our friends, for ourselves, when the pain is upon us, when we see suffering and hurt in those we love particularly. Yet we know that it does not always happen that way, we are not all immediately and fully healed.
The Shepherd has not waited for us to say what condition or need we are in, he sees it and has already provided for it.
Hagar calls God the One who Sees ME. He doesn’t just see, but he is personal and Hagar felt like the only one in the room, so to speak.
The most often considered meaning of The First and Last is that the Lord is everlasting, from before the beginning until after the end. Yet that is not all that this says to me.
His power is omnipotent, unlimited. But more than that, his power descends on his armies and on his people. His power is for us, it amplifies his blessings and it conquers enemies.
But when we consider the uses of the word Abi in the Old Testament, there is more than the DNA in the definition.
The first name of God in the bible is Elohim. It is Elohim who created the heavens and the earth in Genesis 1:1. What I find most interesting about the use of Elohim is that this is the pluralized form of the word.
Yahweh, I am. This is how God chooses to name himself in his encounter with Moses in Exodus 3. It is the first time ‘Yahweh’ is used in the Old Testament. I am. ‘I am’ indicates a great many things, and yet is so simple in its expression.
It is interesting that the name Rock is used in psalms, Habakkuk the song of Moses. They are all expressions of close relationship with God and a personal name.