Praying the Names of God : A Daily Guide

by Ann Spangler, Bestselling Author of Women of the Bible

• ISBN13: 9780310253532
• ISBN10: 0310253535
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-10-01
• Publisher: Zondervan

Summary

Mercy, protection, blessing - these are the concrete promises, the gifts that belong to everyone who loves God's name. Praying the Names of God will lead you into a fresh experience of God's love and power by exploring the Hebrew names of God revealed in Scripture and then showing you how to pray them on a daily basis. By praying these divine names and titles and by understanding the biblical context in which they were first revealed, you will gain a more intimate knowledge of God and his absolute faithfulness. El Shadday, Elohim, Adonay - Through his names God reveals his character and his love. He is the Creator, the Everlasting God, the God Who Sees Me, the Lord Who Heals, The Lord My Rock, The Lord My Shepherd, and the Father who is calling us into a deeper, more satisfying relationship.

Author Biography

Ann Spangler is an award-winning writer and the author of many books

Table of Contents

Pronunciation Guide to the Names of God	9	(2)
Introduction	11	(4)
God, Mighty Creator - Elohim	15	(12)
The God Who Sees Me - El Roi	27	(13)
God Almighty - El Shadday	40	(11)
The Everlasting God or The Eternal God - El Olam	51	(11)
The Lord Will Provide - Yahweh Yireh	62	(12)
Lord - Yahweh	74	(14)
Lord, Master - Adonay	88	(10)
The Lord Who Heals - Yahweh Rophe	98	(11)
The Lord My Banner - Yahweh Nissi	109	(11)
Consuming Fire, Jealous God - Esh Oklah, El Kanna	120	(13)
Holy One of Israel - Qedosh Yisrael	133	(13)
The Lord Is Peace - Yahweh Shalom	146	(12)
The Lord of Hosts - Yahweh Tsebaoth	158	(13)
The Lord My Rock - Yahweh Tsuri	171	(11)
The Lord Is My Shepherd - Yahweh Roi	182	(11)
The Name - Hashem	193	(12)
King - Melek	205	(12)
Husband - Ish	217	(11)
Living God - El Chay	228	(13)
Dwelling Place, Refuge, Shield, Fortress, Strong Tower - Maon, Machseh, Magen, Metsuda, Migdal-Oz	241	(15)
Judge - Shophet	256	(11)
Hope of Israel - Miqweh Yisrael	267	(13)
The Lord Our Righteousness - Yahweh Tsidqenu	280	(12)
God Most High - El Elyon	292	(12)
The Lord Is There - Yahweh Shammah	304	(13)
Father - Ab, Abba, Pater	317	(14)
Source Notes	331	(4)
Selected Bibliography	335

Excerpts

Praying the Names of God
Copyright © 2004 by Ann Spangler
Requests for information should be addressed to:
Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Spangler, Ann.
Praying the names of God : a devotional guide / Ann Spangler.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 0-310-25353-5 (hardcover)
1. God—Name—Meditations. 2. Devotional calendars. I. Title.
BT180.N2S58 2004
231—dc22
2004011827 CIP
This edition printed on acid-free paper.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible: New
International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.
Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Other Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible,
copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of
Churches of Christ in the United States of America, and are used by permission. All rights
reserved.
The website addresses recommended throughout this book are offered as a resource to
you. These websites are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement on the part
of Zondervan, nor do we vouch for their content for the life of this book.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
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Interior design by Michelle Espinoza
Printed in the United States of America
04 05 06 07 08 09 10 /?DC/ 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

GOD, MIGHTY CREATOR
ELOHIM
The Name
Elohim is the Hebrew word for God that appears in the very first
sentence of the Bible. When we pray to Elohim, we remember that
he is the one who began it all, creating the heavens and the earth and
separating light from darkness, water from dry land, night from day.
This ancient name for God contains the idea of God’s creative power
as well as his authority and sovereignty. Jesus used a form of the name
in his agonized prayer from the cross. About the ninth hour Jesus
cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”—which
means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Key Scripture
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)
Monday
GOD REVEALS HIS NAME
In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the
earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep,
while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God
said, “Let there be light.” God called the light Day, and the darkness
he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning,
the first day.
And God said, “Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and
let it separate the waters from the waters.” God called the dome Sky.
And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered
together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” God called
the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he
called Seas. Then God said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation:
plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear
fruit with the seed in it.”
And God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to
separate the day from the night.”
And God said, “Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures,
and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.”
And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures of
every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth
of every kind.”
Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according
to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the
sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all
the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that
creeps upon the earth.”
So God created humankind in his image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply,
and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the
fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living
thing that moves upon the earth.” God saw everything that he had
made, and indeed, it was very good. (Selected from Genesis 1 NRSV)
Elohim, Mighty One, you made everything out of nothing, imposed order
on chaos, gave birth to beauty, and called it all good. Help me to know you
as the one true God who created everything and everyone, the one who
has placed me on the earth for a purpose—to magnify your name.Amen.
Understanding the Name
Elohim (e-lo-HEEM) is the plural form of El or Eloah, one of the
oldest designations for divinity in the world. The Hebrews borrowed
the term El from the Canaanites. It can refer either to the
true God or to pagan gods. Though El is used more than 200 times
in the Hebrew Bible, Elohim is used more than 2,500 times. Its plural
form is used not to indicate a belief in many gods but to emphasize
the majesty of the one true God. He is the God of gods, the
highest of all. Christians may recognize in this plural form a hint of
the Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Elohim occurs thirty-two
times in the first chapter of Genesis. After that the name Yahweh
appears as well and is often paired with Elohim and, in the NIV, the
two together are translated “the LORD God.”
Studying the Name
1. “Genesis” is a word that can mean “birth,” “history of origin,”
or “genealogy.” What can you observe about who God is from
this passage about beginnings?
2. What can you observe about the world he has made?
3. What do you think it means to be created in “the image of
God”? How would your life change if you lived with the constant
awareness that he created you to bear his image?
4. God seems delighted by what he has made, proclaiming it good
and even very good. How does God’s assessment of creation
shape your own attitude toward the world? Toward yourself?
GOD, MIGHTY CREATOR
Tuesday
PRAYING THE NAME
Then God said,“Let us make humankind in our image, according to our
likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the
birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the
earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”
So God created humankind in his image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
God blessed them, and God said to them,“Be fruitful and multiply,
and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the
sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves
upon the earth.” (Genesis 1:26–28 NRSV)
Reflect On: Genesis 1:26–28
Praise God: For his power in creating the heavens and the earth

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Excerpted from Praying the Names of God by Ann Spangler
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