The Names of God

November / December 2024
Volume 106, Number 6

As we approach our Heavenly Father in prayer, which of His names or titles should we use? Can we use more than one? Are there times when we use one over another? Might doing so focus our reverence and bring us into closer fellowship with Him? These are the central questions we explore in this Herald issue.

The six authors provide inspirational details of many of the twenty‑seven Biblical names, titles, and epithets of God, which are also detailed in our insert. God’s names reveal how He manifested Himself in creation and engaged His faithful ones with truth and mercy, spurring them to greater zeal.

The articles begin with a devotional look at God’s majesty. Each of the intervening articles explores God’s four attributes: Wisdom, Justice, Power, and Love. The final article explores a possible scenario for David’s prophetic testimony in Psalms 22, 23, and 24.

Our Mighty God begins with the philosophical David, who calls our attention to an almighty creator through the testimony of nature. The first ten words of the Bible focus our attention on the supreme God. Our focus is then turned to His faithfulness in the experiences of His faithful ones, which show us how to live under His mighty hand.

God in His Wisdom examines Abraham’s harrowing experience with Isaac and offers insights into the value of spiritual over temporal blessings. Is our faith strong enough to withhold nothing God asks of us?

The LORD Our Righteousness shares how God’s righteousness is revealed through His plan of salvation with a focus on His provision of Christ. Through the pen of the Prophet Jeremiah, God extends His righteousness to Israel and then to all mankind.

God in His Power explores the names El Shaddai, Jehovah, Jehovah‑Jireh, and Jehovah‑Nissi and offers practical tips for allowing God’s power to work in our lives. The reader is left to discover a beautiful thought of how God limited Abraham’s lasting emotional pain.

Jehovah-Jireh walks us through a verse‑by-verse study of Genesis 22. God’s love is the common thread leading to His acceptance of Abraham’s sacrifice and Isaac’s willing participation. The Abrahamic Promise (God’s oath) details three sequential descriptions: dust, stars, and sand, all symbolic of God’s love manifested in the Jewish Age, Gospel Age, and Millennial Age.

Praying with the Titles of God considers Psalms 22, 23, and 24 as David’s prophetic testimonies that reassured Jesus through his experiences on his last day, especially his progression of thought while on the cross. The various titles of God that provided David solace also present us with a form of “shorthand” to claim God’s precious promises.