Blog Series Part 1: Nine Names of God {The Creator + The I AM}
I’m so excited to launch my first “blog series” today!
Who would’ve thought I’d even still be blogging weekly at this point?!??! haha
When I began writing this post, I realized it was going to be way too long (even longer than my typical, super long post.) So I decided to turn it into a 5-part series that I will publish over the next few months.
I remember learning about the names of God in Bible College.
They seemed interesting. Beautiful, even.
But I hadn’t lived them yet.
I knew God as the the Creator and the Provider. On paper, I knew He was the Healer and the One who Sees.
But I hadn’t truly lived them yet.
While I’ve yet to live and experience all of them yet, He’s revealing new parts of His heart that I hadn’t noticed before. He doesn’t conceal or give himself in pieces, but it takes a lifetime for us to grasp who He truly is. And isn’t that the most exciting part? This Jesus, this Father, this Spirit is so wildly marvelous that we could never learn too much about Him.
In Biblical times, a name was more than just a word you called someone. A person’s character and core identity was wrapped in their name. A name marked someone’s very existence or purpose. The Father is in the name-changing business! He calls the orphan his daughter and the sinner a saint when we choose to believe and put our faith in Him.
There are so many accounts of people whose names were changed in the Bible, oftentimes as a power move, but most of the time as a prophetic act of love to establish a new, holy identity. Just to name a few:
Abraham - renamed; former name: Abram
Abram means “exalted father” and Abraham means “father of many.” His name was changed to signify his life calling. And to think this took place when he was 99 years old, nearing the end of his life, when Abraham assumed God was out of time to perform a miracle! (Gen 17:5) His wife, Sarah, also received a new name from the Father. Her former name, Sarai, meant “my princess” and her new name, Sarah, meant “mother of nations.”Peter - also known as Simon
Jesus told Simon that he would “also be called Peter” the day He met him! Something about His authority and reputation caused Peter to leave everything, follow Jesus, and answer to a new name. Simon means “one who hears” and Peter means “firm, solid rock.” The Father graciously and creatively renamed him to clarify the purpose of his life - to transition from an observer to one who would help build the rock-solid foundation of the church. (John 1:42) Interestingly, there were times when Jesus called Peter by his old name when he was acting like his former self.Israel - renamed; former name: Jacob (Abraham’s grandson)
After buying his older brother’s birthright, stealing his blessing, and a night of wrestling with God (literally), Jacob’s name “supplanter, backup, trickster, stand-in,” was changed to Israel, which means “having power with God” or “a man who wrestles with God.” (Gen 32:28)Eve - renamed; former name: Woman
One renaming I hadn’t thought of until researching for this post was Eve in the garden. My favorite part about this story is that her husband, Adam, was given the privilege of naming his wife. While Adam’s name simply and appropriately means, “Man,” Eve’s name poetically means, “to live; to breathe.” (Gen 3:20) The Word says that Adam gave her this name because she would become the mother of all the living.
With all of this in mind, it should come as no surprise that every name of God (of which there are hundreds in the Bible) has a sweet and significant meaning behind it. Perhaps there are a few names you’ve yet to be introduced to. Can I show you a new part of His heart, friend?
I’d love to hear how you’ve intimately experienced the many facets of our Father. His names are indicative of His identity and His character. How have you seen Him as The Creator and The I AM in your life? Let me know below!
One of the first and last names we see in Scripture is that our Heavenly Father is The Creator. In the opening verses in the Bible, we read that He created all things by His word. And in the last book of the Bible, we read that even angels lay their crowns at His feet, declaring that He created all things, and by His will they were created and have their being. (Rev 4:11) He doesn’t simply create, nor is He just one who creates. He is T H E c r e a t o r. The Word says that faith empowers us to see that all creation came about by the Father speaking them into existence. (Heb 11:3) We are called to see with our spiritual eyes and believe by faith that He created all things! Even faith is a gift from Him!
Paul further defines our Creator in his letter to the city of Colossae, “He is the divine portrait, the true likeness of the invisible God, and the first-born heir of all creation. For through the Son everything was created, both in the heavenly realm and on the earth, all that is seen and all that is unseen. Every seat of power, realm of government, principality, and authority—it was all created through him and for his purpose! He existed before anything was made, and now everything finds completion in him. He is the Head of his body, which is the church. And since he is the beginning and the firstborn heir in resurrection, he is the most exalted One, holding first place in everything. For God is satisfied to have all his fullness dwelling in Christ. And by the blood of his cross, everything in heaven and earth is brought back to himself—back to its original intent, restored to innocence again! (Colossians 1:15-20)
David worshipped the Creator so beautifully in Psalm 33 when he said, “Words He breathed and worlds were birthed. ‘Let there be,’ and there it was—springing forth the moment He spoke. No sooner said than done!” (Psalm 33:9)
The Word: Genesis 1:1-3, John 1:3, Psalm 19:1-6, Psalm 51, Psalm 139, John 1:3, Ephesians 2:5
Prayer: Father, open our eyes to truly see your creation. The Word says that we are all without excuse. Even creation speaks of your greatness and your goodness. (Rom 1:20) Thank you for taking the time to intimately create us in the womb. Everything else in creation came about by your word, but you took your time with us. You carefully knit us together before we ever knew you. There is power in your voice and in your wisdom, you gave us, your people a voice, too! I pray that we would honor you with the voice and position you’ve trusted us with. Amen!
In Exodus 3, we find Moses in the middle of his conversation with a burning bush. The Father chose to speak to Moses through this bush (which I’m sure was much stranger to Moses than it is to us today.) Moses was in the middle of listing the excuses about why he shouldn’t be the spokesperson for God to the people of Israel. He asks the bush a fair question, “What if I come to the people and they ask who sent me?” Through the bush, the Father replied, “I AM WHO I AM. Tell them the I AM sent you.” (Exodus 3-4) This name for God (Yahweh) is used almost 7,000 times in the Old Testament. In the book of John, we find seven statements where Jesus declared that He fulfilled all of the prophecies of the I AM. Jesus defined His own character and identity in a way the disciples would understand. He declared, “I am the Bread of Life” (John 6:35), “I am the Light of the World” (John 8:12), “I am the Door of the Sheep” (John 10:7), “I am the Good Shepherd” (John 10:11), “I am the Resurrection and the Life” (John 11:25), “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6), and “I am the Vine” (John 15:5).
“God alone can say ‘I AM’ without saying anything more. And why? Because God alone is. Everybody and everything else in the world becomes: but God is. We are all becoming something from our birth to our death — changing continually and becoming something different from what we were a minute before; first of all we were created and made, and so became men; and since that we have been every moment changing, becoming older, becoming wiser, or alas! foolisher; becoming stronger or weaker; becoming better or worse. Even our bodies are changing and becoming different day by day. But God never changes or becomes anything different from what He is now. What He is, that He was, and ever will be. ” —C. Kingsley, M. A.
The Word: Isaiah 40:3, 1 Samuel 1:20, Exodus 6:1-4, Exodus 3:1-22, Isaiah 52:6, Joel 2:31-32
Prayer: Father, Your name is too great for words. You are the “Self-Existing One.” You are sovereign and so good. You are in all things, before all things, and above all things. We live to make your name famous, but your name will live on long after we’re gone. Your name means, “I Will Be Who I Will Be,” and who could explain the magnitude in that name? How humbling is it to know that we are even allowed to call on your name! Your name alone is a prayer in itself. YAHWEH - the One who exists, who understands and authored the salvation story. Thank you, Father! Amen!
All posts in this series:
My favorite song to sing about The Creator is “So Will I” by Hillsong United. It’s more than just a song. The entire creation story is contained in less than 400 words in this song. And with Taya Smith on vocals, it’s like a slice of Heaven.
So Will I (100 Billion X)
by: Hillsong United
God of creation
There at the start
Before the beginning of time
With no point of reference
You spoke to the dark
And fleshed out the wonder of light
And as You speak
A hundred billion galaxies are born
In the vapor of Your breath the planets form
If the stars were made to worship so will I
I can see Your heart in everything You’ve made
Every burning star
A signal fire of grace
If creation sings Your praises so will I
God of Your promise
You don’t speak in vain
No syllable empty or void
For once You have spoken
All nature and science
Follow the sound of Your voice
And as You speak
A hundred billion creatures catch Your breath
Evolving in pursuit of what You said
If it all reveals Your nature so will I
I can see Your heart in everything You say
Every painted sky
A canvas of Your grace
If creation still obeys You so will I
If the stars were made to worship so will I
If the mountains bow in reverence so will I
If the oceans roar Your greatness so will I
For if everything exists to lift You high so will I
If the wind goes where You send it so will I
If the rocks cry out in silence so will I
If the sum of all our praises still falls shy
Then we’ll sing again a hundred billion times
God of salvation
You chased down my heart
Through all of my failure and pride
On a hill You created
The light of the world
Abandoned in darkness to die
And as You speak
A hundred billion failures disappear
Where You lost Your life so I could find it here
If You left the grave behind You so will I
I can see Your heart in everything You’ve done
Every part designed in a work of art called love
If You gladly chose surrender so will I
I can see Your heart
Eight billion different ways
Every precious one
A child You died to save
If You gave Your life to love them so will I
Like You would again a hundred billion times
But what measure could amount to Your desire
You’re the One who never leaves the one behind
I’m so glad you’re here, friend. I’m not sure how you found this post, but I continue to be amazed by the internets. It brings us together in such beautiful ways and reminds us that we’re more alike than different. More united than divided. Whether you spend a minute or an hour on this page, know that Jesus loves you like crazy. Like CRAZY. I’d love to hear how I can pray for you. Would you let me know here?
