Naming God

“Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?’ God responded, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” (Ex. 3:14)

In the Bible God created experiences and fellowship with His children so He could accomplish important purposes in His work. God revealed Himself to those who stood at their crucibles resulting many times in them renaming Him or a place where He interceded. These names represented their own personal testimonies in their own personal sufferings. You will be blessed if you read the following stories to anchor this practice.

Moses – The LORD is my Banner (A banner is the standard that goes in front of an army to indicate whom it represents.) Ex. 17:8-15

Hagar – The well of Beer Lahai Roi (the well of the Living One who sees me)
Gen. 21:1-20

Abraham – The place of ‘The LORD will provide.’ (the mountain where God intervened and provided the ram in the bush for sacrifice in place of Abraham’s son) Gen. 22:1-19

Our experiences create our own list of names for God. He takes on many names during both times of pain and the deliverance from pain. These names are unique and personal and are based on our perception of God. If we approach our trials with love and trust in God our names for Him will match His character. If we lack trust and faith in His love our names for Him may be distorted. (The God who didn’t save, The God who didn’t hear, The God who didn’t care)

In my own life my pain distorted who God really was in my life. The closer I became to God the more aligned my given names for Him were consistent with His character. A few of my names for our LORD are as follows:

The Restorer of Life – As my daughter lay on the hospital floor flat lining from a heroin overdose He physically saved her life. But the real life He restored that day was the spiritual and emotional life as she decided to become clean and live a life reconciled to Him.

The One who Touched – When my youngest daughter, Caroline lost her boyfriend in an accident she pushed me away. She said the pain was too great to share with anyone. I felt rejected and alone. As tears streamed down my face I actually felt the hand of God touch my cheek and wipe my tears. I was completely transformed that morning.

Remover of Stones – With the deaths of my sister and dad, the darkness of their tombs was replaced with the stones removed. Their precious resurrections from this earth were replaced with glorious life in the eternal.

What are your names for God based on your own sufferings and do they match His character?