NAMES OF ALMIGHTY GOD FROM A TO Z.
BY
ABIMBOLA. O. SALU.
We serve a great and mighty God! . We serve a most wonderful and Holy God! Have you ever wondered what God means to you personally? He has been described in various ways in the Bible and even books have been written about who He is and what He is. These are my favorite words that describe God and what He means to me. I have listed them from A to Z. This list is by no means exhaustive.
A
Awesome: Our God is indeed an awesome God! You only need to look at nature to feel the awesomeness of His power. The rising of the sun and the setting of the same .The moon and the stars, the high mountains that seem to go forever into the clouds, the deepest valleys, waterfalls, rainbows, oceans, lakes, fish and all sea creatures of different hues and sizes, plants and animals. Even the Psalmist recognizes the beauty in nature when he said in Psalm 19, “ the heavens declares the glory of God and the firmament showeth His handywork. [Psalm 19 v. 1]. In Psalm 8, he gives a vivid description of His works. Most important however are we human beings, the creations of his hands to whom he has given dominion over all the works of His hands, we that are “ fearfully and wonderfully made” [Psalm 139 v. 14] Even as advanced as science is, no man has been able to create another man from scratch. Cloning is not the same thing. Man still needs some help from God. That shows what an awesome God we serve.
Almighty.
This is one name of our God that He himself declares as His name. In Genesis 17 v. 11 and Genesis 35 v. 11, He says, “ I am the Almighty God “. Some dictionaries tell us that the word” Almighty” means “having absolute power over all, relatively unlimited in power, great in magnitude or seriousness” All these describe our God but they do not even do justice in describing Him. He has been there before the world was created, He holds us human beings subject to His will, He can do and undo, He opens doors that no man can shut and shuts doors that no man can open. You cannot question Him for what He does because He can do whatsoever He pleases! He is the beginning and the end, the first and the last. He declared in Revelation 1v.8 “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending saith the Lord, which is, and which was and which is to come, the Almighty.”
B
Bountiful.
We serve a bountiful God. The storehouses of our God are filled with His treasures that He wants to bless us with. However some of the reasons we do not have is either because we do not ask or because of sin. If only we can catch a glimpse of the bounties which our God has in store for us! In Deuteronomy 28 v.12 [NIV] the Bible says “The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none.” Jeremiah 28 v. 14 [NIV] says “I will satisfy the priests with abundance and my people will be filled with my bounty says the Lord”.
Beautiful.
No one has ever seen God so we cannot claim to know just how beautiful He is. However, we see Him in nature and we know how beautiful His creations are. Even the Bible confirms in Ecclesiastes 3v. 11 “ He has made everything beautiful in His time” Also in Isaiah 52 v. 7, “ How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace, that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!”
Bread of Life.
Without food, no living being can survive after a period of time. Food is most often referred to as “bread” especially in the biblical times. Jesus, the Son of God, the third person of the Trinity is the Bread of life. In John 6 v. 35 He says “ I am the Bread of Life, he that cometh to me shall never hunger and he that believeth on me shall never thirst” Again, in John 6 v. 51 He says, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”
C
Comforter.
When Jesus was about to complete the work He was sent by the Father to do, He promised His Disciples that he would send the Comforter. “And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever” [John 14 v. 16.] Also in John 16 v. 26, Jesus said, “ But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you”. Sometimes some things happen to us as human beings that no words spoken can give any comfort. However, when the Holy Spirit, the Comforter ministers to us, He gives us the “peace of God that passeth all understanding”[Philippians 4 v. 7].
Compassionate.
The dictionary describes a compassionate person as someone who is sympathetic. This is one of the attributes of Jesus Christ when he came down to earth. Indeed, Hebrews 4 v. 15 says “ for we do not have a High priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses but we have one who has been tempted in every way just as we are- yet without sin” His compassionate nature is also captured in the words of Psalm 86 v.15 “ But thou, O Lord art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.”
D
Deliverer
Our God Almighty is the only one strong enough to deliver us from all afflictions and from our strong enemies. In life, so many situations will arise when we feel totally helpless. However, when we call on the name of the Lord, He will surely arise and deliver us. Psalm 18 v. 2-3 puts it so well. “The Lord is my rock, and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, so shall I be saved from my enemies”. All we need to do when situations arise is just to call on the Lord. He says in Jeremiah 33 v. 3 “ Call to me and I will answer you and I will show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not.” You can be sure that the Lord will answer you speedily for He has promised, He will never fail.
E
Everlasting.
In life, nothing lasts forever .As a matter of fact, the only permanent thing is change. However, our God is an everlasting God. He has been there since the beginning of creation; He will continue to be there even when the world has passed away. He is the solid Rock of Ages, the one who was and is and forever will be. He is the unchanging changer. No one compares to Him. The Psalmists puts it so beautifully Psalm 90 v. 2 “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hast formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.”
F
Faithful.
If there is one name of our Lord Almighty that I love so much, this is it. God is so faithful! Even to the very end. He is Loyal, He is Constant, He is Steadfast, and He is Resolute, Ever faithful, ever sure. He does not abandon us to our fate, He always sees us through to the very end. That song, “Great is thy faithfulness “also tells us “there is no shadow of turning with Him.” He will do what He says He will do. He promised in Joshua 1 v. 5 “ I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee” Again, the Psalmist says in Psalm 89 v. 1,5,8 and 33 “ I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever; with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations. And the heavens shall praise thy wonders O Lord: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of thy saints. O Lord God of Hosts, who is a strong Lord like unto thee? Or thy faithfulness round about thee? Nevertheless thy loving kindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail”
G
Great.
When we ascribe greatness to someone, it means that He is eminent, distinguished or remarkable in magnitude. Indeed, God is great and greatly to be praised. In the words of Psalm 48 v. 1,”Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised” He has done so many great and mighty acts that we cannot even begin to recount them.
H
Holy
God is a holy God. The dictionary defines “holy “as exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness” Another definition of “holy” is “divine” Psalm 99 v. 5and 9 says “ Exalt ye the Lord our God, and worship at His footstool; for He is holy. Exalt the Lord our God and worship at His holy hill; for the Lord our God is holy”. Even the words of a favorite song capture this quality of our God. “Holy, holy holy, Lord God almighty, early in the morning our song shall rise to thee. Holy, holy holy, merciful and mighty, God in three persons, blessed trinity”.
I
I Am
“And Moses said unto God, behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say unto me, what is the his name? What shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shall thou say unto the children of Israel, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and the God of Jacob hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.”[Exodus 3 v. 14and 15.
J
Jehovah
This is one of the names of God that He himself proclaimed to be His name. Exodus 6 v.2 and 3 says “ And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the Lord. And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac and unto Jacob, by the name of GOD Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.” He is also known as “Jehovah-Jireh” which translates to “Jehovah will provide”[See Genesis 22 v.14], “Jehovah- Nissi” which means “Jehovah my banner” [See Exodus 17 v.15], “Jehovah- Shammah”which means “ Jehovah is there [See Ezekiel 48 v.35] and “Jehovah –tsidkenu ‘or ‘Jehovah our righteousness” [See Jeremiah 23 v.6 and 33 v. 16.
K
King of Kings
The sovereignty of our God can never be doubted. He is the King of kings and the Lords of Lords. One of the greatest musical compositions of our time, “Handels Messiah “ captures this essence of our God. The Book of Revelation, chapter 4 v.10and 11 depicts the sovereignty and majesty of God, It says, “ The four and twenty elders fell down before him that sat on the throne and worship him that liveth for ever and ever and cast their crowns before the throne saying. Thou art worthy, O Lord to receive glory and honor and power; for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created”.
L
Loving
God is a loving Father that cares so much about us. Minute to minute, day by day, He blesses us, cares about our wants and our cares and our needs. He takes excellent care of us since we are the “apple of His eye” There are times when we desire something and if it is according to His will, He gives us the object of our desires even as we think on those things.
M
Marvelous
When God does some things in our lives, we cannot but marvel at His greatness. He is a miracle working God that cannot be surpassed in His love for us. Every time He does great things and even when we observe the wonders of His glory we cannot help but have a feeling of surprise or wonder.
N
New Every Morning
The words of that song capture this very well. “The Steadfast love of our Lord never ceaseth, His mercies never come to an end, They are new every morning, new every morning, Great is your faithfulness Oh Lord!
O
Omnipotent, Omniscience, Omnipresent
These qualities capture the powerful nature of our God. He is Omnipotent that is He is almighty, virtually unlimited in authority and influence, He is Omniscience and also Omnipotent, that is He is present in all places at all times. No other power can lay claim to any of these attributes. Indeed we serve a Mighty God!
P
Powerful
Throughout the Bible, we see examples of the powerful nature of our God. They are just too numerous to mention. My favorites include crossing the Red Sea by the children of Israel, Elijah calling down fire from heaven and Jesus Christ feeding the multitude. No other person or god has been able to match all of these feats. God is a powerful God.
Q
Quintessential
Our God is pure and our God is holy. Isaiah realized his state of sin when he declared in Isaiah 6v.5, “ woe is I! For I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in midst of a people of unclean lips, for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts”
R
Redeemer
A Redeemer is someone who takes up the task of restoring the rights of another person and avenging his wrongs. Jesus Christ is our redeemer. He shed his blood for us at Calvary thus paying the ultimate price for our sins. He also restored us fully and has avenged every evil the “accuser of the brethren “ has done. Is .49 v.7, says, “Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to whom the nations abboreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall serve and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee. “ Isaiah 49 v. 26 says” And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the Lord am thy Savior and thy Redeemer, the mighty one of Jacob”.
S
Savior
Jesus came to the world and shed His precious blood to save all sinners. He is the savior of the world. We used to live under the laws of the Old Testament, which required the shedding of blood for sins. However, when Jesus came, He made himself the ultimate sacrifice and thus eliminated the shedding of blood. His blood alone atones for our sins. He is the Savior, our Redeemer and our friend.
T
True God.
In this world of sin and strife, there are so many fake gods. The gods of this world make promises they cannot keep. They lure and entice people with false hopes and false promises. Our God always does what He says. He promised in the Bible “ heaven and earth may pass away but my word will never pass away.” He is a man of his words. He is the only wise God, true and faithful to the end.1 Thessalonians 1 v. 9 says “ for they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had you and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God”. Jeremiah 10 v. 10 says “But the Lord is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation”.
U
Unequalled, Unparalleled
No one compares to God Almighty. He is unequalled and unparalleled, in his nature, his greatness, his kindness and His love. Even though we are sinners the Psalmist says in Psalm 103 v10to14”He hath not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy towards them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us like, as a father pities his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him. For he knoweth our frame, he remembered that we are dust”
V
Vine
Our Lord is the true Vine. In John 15 v.1, Jesus says” I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in me I am the vine, ye are the branches, He that abideth in me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me, ye can do nothing.”
W
Worthy
Any day, any time God is worthy of our praise, of our honor and of our adoration. Even as human beings, when we need the help of another, we do not hesitate to heap praises on such a person, even though he is a human being just like us. The best that we can do for God is to give Him our praises, which He so richly deserves. As it is written in Revelation 4v. 11 “ Thou art worthy, O Lord to receive glory and honor and power; for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
Xtreemly Gracious.
The alphabet X does not have many words; nevertheless there is no denying that our God is an extremely gracious. God’s Grace is unmerited favor and the state of being gracious is marked by kindness. There are so many times in our lives when God grants us grace even when we do not deserve it. We echo this in prayer when we pray for “the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the sweet fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us now and forevermore, Amen”
Y
Yahweh.
This is the Hebrew name for God. He is the covenant God of Israel. This name is so sacred to the Jews that anytime the name appeared, they would substitute it with the
Z
Z.
There is no word that starts with the letter “Z” by which we can describe our God. Suffice it to say however that just as the letter “Z” is the last alphabet, it represents the fact that God has the final say over our lives. He is the final arbiter, the Omega, the last person we shall see when we face the throne of judgment. Let us prepare our hearts even as we prepare to meet him on the last day. Let us pray that like Paul in the Book of Second Timothy 4 v.7- 8 we can say, “ I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, and I have kept the faith. Henceforth is laid for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge shall give me at that day: and not to me but unto all them also that love his appearing”.
