Lasting courage and peace come not from the absence of struggle but from experiencing God amidst the chaos. The more we focus on our problems and inadequacies, the greater our fears grow. When we meditate on Christ — on who He is, what He’s done, and all He’s promised — and anchor our souls in His truth, our courage grows. We become strong and immovable because our feet are planted firmly in Almighty God, the One who never moves, who never changes, and who will never leave.
In Bible times, names carried great significance and were said to convey the character of a person. This is true for all the names for God seen throughout Scripture as well. Each name reveals a unique aspect of who God is in all His vastness.
He is a mighty fortress. El Shaddai, the All-Sufficient One. Adonai, the Lord who is Sovereign over all, our lives included. Each of God’s names, sprinkled throughout Scripture, reveal core characteristics of our Savior. Through prayer, we can remind ourselves of these truths. Not only will this help our souls connect with Him on a deeper level, but it will decrease our fears and increase our faith as well.
Praying God’s names:
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1. He is Elohim, The Supreme, Creator God – Genesis 1
Lord, You are Elohim, Creator God, who is beyond time and space. You who formed the galaxies and know each star by name, who breathed life into mankind, can breathe fresh life into my circumstances as well. I know, even now, the God of creation is recreating me, and for that I praise You.
You are so far beyond me, Lord, and yet You are also close beside me. You are the God who remains intimately involved with Your creation. Genesis 1:2 tells us, before our earth took form, Your Spirit “was hovering over the waters,” “like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young.” In this, I see Your tenderness toward this world that You created and all of its inhabitants. Thank You for showing me and those I love that same tenderness.
2. Jehovah (Yahweh), the Self-Revealing, Self-Existing God – Exodus 3:14
Jehovah, Yahweh, the ever-present, self-revealing God, You have made Yourself known to me. I know Your heart and Your ways, and Your ways are good. You existed before I took my first breath or experienced my first challenge and will remain long after every earthly battle ends. You are the God who is and will always be.
You are the unchanging, everlasting I AM, always faithful and dependable, keeping Your promises to all generations. Therefore, I can trust every Word recorded and preserved in Scripture.
You gave Abraham and his barren wife a promised child, when they were well beyond childbearing years and through this revealed the promise of your salvation (Gen. 12-21). You rescued Joseph from an Egyptian dungeon, fulfilled the dreams planted deep in His soul. This revealed Your power over injustice and oppressive systems (Gen. 37-50). You preserved the life of David, ancient Israel’s second king and, through Jesus, established his royal line forever (1 Sam. 18-2 Sam. 2; Jeremiah 23:5-6; Matthew 1). In You, Our Savior, the great I Am, every promise indeed is yes and amen (2 Cor. 1:20). Therefore, I can walk in confidence knowing You will lead me to a glorious and victorious future.
Related Resource: Listen to Jennifer's FREE podcast, Faith Over Fear! You can find all of our episodes on LifeAudio.com. Listen below to our latest episode on God as Elohim:
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3. El Shaddai, the All-Sufficient God
You first revealed Yourself as El Shaddai to Abraham, when You reminded him of a promise that seemed beyond reach. A promise of something he could never do on his own—produce a child through his elderly and barren wife. This reminds me that You are sufficient in my insufficiencies as well. You are sufficient in my weakness, in grief, my uncertainty, and fear. You are the God of abundance, who pours good gifts upon me. Gifts of love, of peace, of mercy, and of never-ending springs of salvation.
As Bible scholar Wiersbe states, You are “the God who nourishes and provides, who sustains and enables.” No one can snatch me out of Your hands or hinder all You have planned for me. Whenever I catch glimpses of your sufficiency, I’m reminded of the day when Your Kingdom reign will come in full and You will banish all evil, sickness, and pain from our presence for good.
4. El Rapha, the God Who Heals
Jesus, when my body aches and sickness comes, I turn to You, the great Physician who has the power to heal and transform. Scripture tells me You brought hearing to the deaf, sight to the blind, mobility to the paralyzed, cleansing to the possessed, and life to the dead. You brought life to me when I was dead as well.
When illnesses hits me or the ones I love, I place my hope in You, because I know You can restore and rejuvenate every cell within us. Perhaps Your miracle will come quickly, as it did when You called Lazarus from the grave. Perhaps You’ll defeat sickness bit by bit, through doctors, medicine, and teaching me healthier habits. Or perhaps my healing will come when I breathe my last on this present earth and am ushered into Your presence. But I do know my healing will come, as it will for everyone who trusts in Your name. And so, I wait with hope, expectation, and praise.
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5. Adonai, Lord of All
Lord Jesus, be my Lord, each moment of the day. Help me surrender to Your care, rest in Your embrace. Remind me of how faithful and trustworthy You, my Master, are. You have full authority over my life and the lives of those I love, but Your power doesn’t stop there. You are the Lord of all, the Sovereign Ruler of all that exists and is yet to come.
You are the King of kings and Lord of lords who raises one man to power and brings another man low. Today’s political and economic climate doesn’t surprise, delay, distract, or dissuade You. I will not fear when others rise against me, slander me, or discount me because I know who holds my future. You alone define my role and my “lot” and ensure the boundaries You’ve set around me will indeed fall in pleasant places.
You who promised me a hope and a future are fully capable of bringing that future to pass. And so, I follow as You lead, my Lord, my Master, with confidence and in peace, knowing You go before me, stand behind me, and will forever walk beside me.
6. Abba, Father
How is it that the Creator of the universe, the One who created time and space and set our solar system into motion would care for me? How is it that Almighty God can call me, in my weak and often sinful state, His child? Help me to remember the intimate relationship this name implies. Don’t let me forget the privilege given to me through the death and resurrection of Your Son.
Christ, who told me to address You as Father, as Abba, paid the price necessary for me to draw near. By His blood, I’ve been redeemed and adopted into Your divine and global family. I am loved, cherished, never forgotten, and never alone. I come to You now, with the same expectation, trust, and boldness with which a young child comes to the Daddy she adores. I hold nothing back, Lord. I bring my prayers unfiltered, knowing You hear each word. And I know You will answer as You think best, with the love a faithful, devoted Father showers upon His ever-dependent child.
You are my Protector, my Provider, who will always welcome me close and will never turn me away. May I eagerly await our encounters just as a toddler peers out the window watching for her Daddy. Lord, teach me to know You and trust You more.
For more on praying to God as our Father, and additional prayer guidance, listen to the Faith Bolstering Power of the Lord’s Prayer on LifeAudio’s Faith Over Fear podcast.
As we pray each of God’s names, may we pause to reflect on the truths encapsulated in each one. May those truths of who God is, all He’s promised, and all He’s yet to do bring peace, strength, and comfort to our anxious hearts. May we remember, no matter what we face, we have all we need in our Father, our King. No one and nothing can separate us from His love.