PRAYING the Names and Attributes of God
- JEHOVAH The name of the independent, selfcomplete being—“I AM WHO I AM”—only belongs to Jehovah God. Our proper response to Him is to fall down in fear and awe of the One who possesses all authority. Exodus 3:13-15
- JEHOVAH-M’KADDESH This name means “the God who sanctifies.” A God separate from all that is evil requires that the people who follow Him be cleansed from all evil. Leviticus 20:7,8
- INFINITE God is beyond measurement—we cannot define Him by size or amount. He has no beginning, no end, and no limits. Romans 11:33
- OMNIPOTENT God is all-powerful. He spoke all things into being, and all things— every cell, every breath, every thought—are sustained by Him. Nothing is too difficult for Him. Jeremiah 32:17,18, 26,27
- GOOD God is the embodiment of perfect goodness, and is kind, benevolent, and full of good will toward all creation. Psalm 119:65-72
- LOVE God’s love is so great that He gave His only Son to bring us into fellowship with Him. His love encompasses the world, and embraces each of us personally and intimately. 1 John 4:7-10
- JEHOVAH-JIREH “The God who provides.” Just as He provided yesterday, He will provide today and tomorrow. He grants deliverance from sin, the oil of joy for the ashes of sorrow, and eternal citizenship in His Kingdom for all those adopted into His household. Genesis 22:9-14
- JEHOVAH-SHALOM “The God of peace.” We are meant to know the fullness of God’s perfect peace, His “shalom.” God’s peace surpasses understanding and sustains us through difficult times. It’s the product of fully being what we were created to be. Judges 6:16-24
- IMMUTABLE All that God is, He has always been. All that He has been and is, He will ever be. He is ever perfect and unchanging. Psalm 102:25-28
- TRANSCENDENT God is not simply the highest in an order of beings (this would be to grant Him eminence). He is transcendent— existing beyond and above the created universe. Psalm 113:4,5
- JUST God is righteous and holy, fair and equitable in all things. We can trust Him to always do what is right. Psalm 75:1-7
- HOLY God’s holiness is not a better version of the best we know. God is utterly and supremely untainted. His holiness stands apart—unique and incomprehensible. Revelation 4:8-11
- JEHOVAH-ROPHE “Jehovah heals.” God alone provides the remedy for mankind’s brokenness through His son, Jesus Christ. The Gospel is the physical, moral, and spiritual remedy for all people. Exodus 15:22-26
- SELF-SUFFICIENT All things are God’s to give, and all that is given is given by Him. He can receive nothing that He has not already given us. Acts 17:24-28
- OMNISCIENT God is all-knowing. God’s knowledge encompasses every possible thing that exists, has ever existed, or will ever exist. Nothing is a mystery to Him. Psalm 139:1-6
- OMNIPRESENT God is everywhere, in and around everything, close to everyone. “‘Do not I fill heaven and earth?’ declares the Lord.” Psalm 139:7-12
- MERCIFUL God’s merciful compassion is infinite and inexhaustible. Through Christ, He took the judgment that was rightfully ours and placed it on His own shoulders. He waits and works now for all people to turn to Him and to live under His justification. Deuteronomy 4:29-31
- SOVEREIGN God presides over every event, great or small, and He is in control of our lives. To be sovereign, He must be all-knowing and all-powerful, and by His sovereignty He rules His entire creation. 1 Chronicles 29:11-13
- JEHOVAH-NISSI “God our banner.” Under His banner we go from triumph to triumph and say, “Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57). Exodus 17:8-15
- WISE All God’s acts are accomplished through His infinite wisdom. He always acts for our good, which is to conform us to Christ. Our good and His glory are inextricably bound together. Proverbs 3:19,20
- FAITHFUL Out of His faithfulness God honors His covenants and fulfills His promises. Our hope for the future rests upon God’s faithfulness. Psalm 89:1-8
- WRATHFUL Unlike human anger, God’s wrath is never capricious, self-indulgent, or irritable. It is the right and necessary reaction to objective moral evil. Nahum 1:2-8
- FULL OF GRACE Grace is God’s good pleasure that moves Him to grant merit where it is undeserved and to forgive debt that cannot be repaid. Ephesians 1:5-8
- OUR COMFORTER Jesus called the Holy Spirit the “Comforter,” and the apostle Paul writes that the Lord is “the God of all comfort.” 2 Corinthians 1:3,4
- EL-SHADDAI “God Almighty,” the God who is allsufficient and all-bountiful, the source of all blessings. Genesis 49:22-26
- FATHER Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father” (Matthew 6:9), and the Spirit of God taught us to cry, “Abba, Father,” an intimate Aramaic term similar to “Daddy.” The Creator of the universe cares for each one of us. Romans 8:15-17
- THE CHURCH’S HEAD God the Son, Jesus, is the head of the Church. As the head, the part of the body that sees, hears, thinks, and decides, He gives the orders that the rest of the body lives by. Ephesians 1:22,23
- OUR INTERCESSOR Knowing our temptations, God the Son intercedes for us. He opens the doors for us to boldly ask God the Father for mercy. Thus, God is both the initiation and conclusion of true prayer. Hebrews 4:14-16
- ADONAI “Master” or “Lord.” All God’s people ought to acknowledge themselves as His servants, with His right to reign as Lord of our lives. 2 Samuel 7:18-20
- ELOHIM “Strength” or “Power”: He is transcendent, mighty and strong. This name displays His supreme power, sovereignty, and faithfulness in His covenant relationship with us. Genesis 17:7,8 SOURCES: THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE HOLY, BY A.W. TOZER; NAMES OF GOD, BY NATHAN STONE; AND GOD OF GLORY, BY KENNETH LANDON.