His Name Is Life
"But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name." (John 20:31 NLT)
I want to know God's names. But I don't want to just know them.
I want to study God's names. But I don't want to just study them.
I want to actually live God's names. I want God's names—and what they teach me about Him—to show up in the middle of my daily life and make a difference other people can see. Otherwise, how will I make His name known?
As with most good things in the life of faith (and by "most," I mean "all"), this process starts with prayer. You've probably heard people talk about praying God's names; here's what I'm working on toward that end.
Name His names. "God, You are I AM. God, You are Redeemer. God, You are the Joy-Giver."
Ask in His name. So often, I tell people I am praying for them or will pray for them and then just stop at, "God, please help so-and-so." And to be clear: there is a time and place for this prayer, because it is not as if God is depending on us to give Him details on what kind of help is needed. But how much more might our prayers be powered up by the name of the One whose help we're seeking? So, "Healer, please heal..." or "Spirit of Wisdom, please inform..." or "Avenger, please right this wrong..." or "Guide, please show the way..."
Magnify His name. When we magnify something, we move in for a closer look. We enlarge it. When we magnify God's names in prayer, we get closer to who He is and make that truth bigger in our minds and hearts. "God, You are Love: You are patient, kind, long-suffering, not easily angered. God, You are the Sun: You sustain life, You illuminate, You make things grow."
Exemplify His name. To exemplify something is to represent it well, to be a model example of it. This is a high calling that only Jesus did perfectly, but here, as everywhere, Jesus is our goal, our mark to aim for. And so we ask, "God help me exemplify Your name. Help me exemplify you as Comforter by comforting someone today. Help me exemplify you as Helper by helping someone today. Help me exemplify you as Friend by being a friend to someone today."
Oh God, Your name is life. Help me to make it known.
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I'd love to hear from you! Feel free to tell me what you really think. Years ago, I explained to my then-two-year-old that my appointment with a counselor was "sort of like going to a doctor who will help me be a better mommy." Without blinking, she replied, "You'd better go every day." All of which is just to say I've spent some time in the school of brutal honesty!