Derek Smith, Lead Pastor LHBC
Luke 11:2
And He (Jesus) said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be Your name.”
Prayer starts with God not with me. That sounds really simple, but don’t we often times find ourselves coming to God in prayer first with our agenda in mind instead of His? The disciples made a most profound request of Christ when they asked, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Jesus told them to begin by calling on the holy name of God. Why? Because He really is all we need and we learn this through calling on and meditating on his multi-faceted name. Consider some names of God in the Scriptures and their meanings:
Elohim – Plural in form, the Strong One (Jeremiah 32:27)
El Shaddai – Almighty God (Psalm 91:1-2)
El Elyon – The Most High God (Genesis 14:19)
El Olam – The Everlasting God (Genesis 16:13)
Yahweh – The Great I Am, The Self-Existent One (Exodus 6:3)
Yahweh – Jireh – The Lord My Provider (Genesis 22:14)
Yahweh – Rapha – The Lord Who Heals (Exodus 15:26)
Yahweh – Nissi – The Lord My Banner (Exodus 17:15-16)
Yahweh – Makadesh – The Lord Who Sanctifies (Leviticus 20:7-18)
Yahweh – Shalom – The Lord My Peace (Judges 6:24)
Yahweh – Rohi – The Lord My Shepherd (Psalm 23:1)
Yahweh – Tsidkenu – The Lord My Righteousness (Jeremiah 23:5-6)
Yahweh – Shammah – The Lord Who is Present (Ezekiel 48:35)
Yahweh – Sabaoth – The Lord of Hosts or Armies (1 Samuel 17:45)
Adonai – Plural in form, Master or Lord (Joshua 5:14)
And that’s just names from the Old Testament! Consider in the New Testament He is Jesus, the Lamb of God, our Savior, Our Deliverer, our Comforter, our Advocate, and our Friend just to name a few. When I call on the name of God and meditate on the character, nature, and goodness of God I quickly realize He is all I need. Today, call on the name of God. Consider all He is to His children and rest in His holiness today.
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Oh Jesus, I call on Your name today and Your name alone. You are God and there is no other. In You I have all I need, so help me to rely fully on You. Your name is a strong tower and I find refuge in You. It is in Your powerful matchless name I pray, amen.
MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK:
Psalm 145:2-3
2 Every day I will bless you
and praise your name forever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
and his greatness is unsearchable.