April 1, 2025

Dear Friends,

Names can create humour — especially across cultures. For example, I can’t tell you how many times people have laughed or snickered after I was introduced in Ghana. You see, when they pronounce my name, it sounds like “Dog.” When people hear that, they wonder why any parent would name their child after a canine. I have a colleague whose name is Gord Martin (he told me this story) who now spends most of his time with diaspora peoples who have immigrated to Canada. In the same way that Ghanaians pronounce my name “Dog,” many southeast Asians pronounce his name, “God.” Some time ago, Gord was scheduled to go to Ottawa to speak at a church. He planned to stay overnight with the church pastor and his family. Because their home was small, the pastor informed his daughter that she would have to give up her room because “God Martin” would be staying with them. The little girl’s eyes grew large and she exclaimed, ‘I didn’t know that God had a last name!’

While God doesn’t have a last name, he reveals himself in many ways through the names he either identifies as applying to him or through the names that are given to him. As apprentices to Jesus, one of our great tasks, if we are really going to live each day in “the kingdom of the heavens” is to focus our mind on the nature of this kingdom and its King. One practical way to do that is to literally think about the various names of God and what they mean. So, let me give you a sample that will, I hope, both encourage and challenge you this week.

God is …

Elohim: supreme or mighty one (Gen. 1:1)

YHWH: the most personal name for God as he revealed it to Moses. It means, “I am who I am” or “I will be who I will be.” (Ex. 3:13-15) This name is considered so sacred by the Jews that they never pronounce it.

Jehovah Jireh: the LORD who provides (Gen. 22:14)

Jehovah Rapha: the LORD our healer (Ex. 15:26)

Jehovah Shalom: the LORD our peace (Jud. 6:24)

Jehovah Raah: the LORD our shepherd (Psa. 23:1)

Jehovah Shammah: the LORD is here (Eze. 48:35)

Jehovah Roi: the LORD who sees (Gen. 16:13-14)

Jehovah Tsidkenu: the LORD our righteousness (Jer. 23:6)

Abba Father: a personal, loving parent (Rom. 8:15)

Jesus: the one who saves (Mat. 1:21)

Friend of Sinners: (Mat. 11:19)

Immanuel: God with us (Isa. 7:14)

Alpha and Omega: the beginning and the end (Rev. 22:13)

This is only a sampling but it is also reality. God is all of these and more. To quote Paul, it is “in him we live and move and have our being.” Be encouraged and strengthened to engage with what he calls you to do or be today. “The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” (Pro. 18:10)

Blessings!

Doug