As part of our Summer Worship Gathering in July, we spent time praying. What a moving experience to be in a room full of women, pouring their hearts out to the Lord.
We prayed for prodigals in our life, for our city, our church, our world, and each other. We covered some territory! That is the powerful gift God has given us in prayer. No matter where we are—in a cubicle, a hospital bed, a corner office, on a walk, in a public school or in prison, we can communicate with the God of the Universe, who has the ability to affect people and situations anywhere.
In the days ahead, we’ll be sending out specific ways to pray which are in keeping with how we prayed at the Summer Worship Gathering.
“Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his NAME together!”
— Psalm 34:3
The Names of God
One of the ways we set our hearts right as we begin to pray is to ponder who God is, to fix our minds on Him and to remember that He is more than a Provider. He IS that. Yet He is so satisfying in His being that it causes us to exhale our neediness and to be struck by contentment simply with who He is. As we thank Him for what He’s done, it’s a reminder to our souls that He has been and will be faithful to do what is best for us and what most magnifies Him.
“Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!”
— 1 Chronicles 16:8
So how do we do this? One of the ways I saw my soul grow exponentially was in reflecting on the names and attributes of God. He is multifaceted and it’s easy to slot Him into one or two characteristics that we like the most to the exclusion of all the others.
By intentionally pondering His “moreness,” we will see our souls expand and grow up in the way we understand and relate to Him.
HERE ARE SEVERAL RESOURCES TO HELP YOU UNDERSTAND BETTER THE NAMES AND ATTRIBUTES OF GOD:
Read a chapter in Psalms each day. Make a note of any names or descriptions of God. Here’s an example from Psalm 73:25–28. After you identify the name or attribute, ponder it, chew on it, look for ways to relate to God more specifically.
Lord, I Want to Know You: A Devotional Study on the Names of God, Kay Arthur
Color the Names of God: An Adult Coloring Book for Your Soul, Marie Michaels
FOR YOU TO READ WITH YOUR CHILDREN:
God’s Names by Sally Michael.
Listen to the description of this book: When you want to get to know someone, where do you start? How do you introduce yourself? Usually, you start with someone’s name. God knows this—and he doesn’t have just one name to share with us! The Bible gives us many names for God and tells us what they all mean. And when we learn a new name for God, we learn something new about him, too! This book is for parents and children to read together. Every chapter includes questions for family discussion and an activity.
God, What’s Your Name? (Discover 4 Yourself Inductive Bible Studies for Kids), Kay Arthur and Janna Arndt
