Your Name

“Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with a In outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD.’” Exodus 6:6-8 NIV

The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. Psalm 103:8 NIV

He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. Micah 5:4 NIV

But for the sake of my name, I brought them out of Egypt. I did it to keep my name from being profaned in the eyes of the nations among whom they lived and in whose sight I had revealed myself to the Israelites. Ezekiel 20:9 NIV

This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, Matthew 6:9 NIV

In Exodus 3 Moses encounters God in the burning bush. He asks several questions of God, but one was what is your name? Exodus 3:14 gives the answer, “God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” He had earlier told Moses to lead God’s people to the land flowing with milk and honey, “And God said, ‘I will be with you,’” Exodus 3:12.

A name in Biblical times was a description of a person’s character, of their reputation, of their personality. God answers Moses’ question with two of the most important parts of His character. 1. God is – not was, not will be, but is and will always be – God has no beginning and no end. 2. God is with us – He is trustworthy, dependable, faithful. Jesus answered the Pharisees’ questions about who Jesus was with, “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” In saying this, he was claiming to be one with God the Father, and eternal as well. The Pharisees understood his claim and tried to stone him for what they considered was his blasphemy.

God’s name was rarely spoken by a pious Jew. God’s name – is majestic (Psalm 8:1), is trustworthy (Psalm 20:7), is a strong tower (Proverbs 18:10), is near (Psalm 75:1 is a refuge (Psalm 5:11) and lives in His temple (I Kings 8:29). In Exodus 34: 5-7 Moses asked to see God’s glory, “Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.”

Psalm 103 is a fantastic testimony of the character of God. If you want to understand more clearly who God is, how he loves us, protects us and all that he has done on our behalf, I suggest a study of this Psalm. Look at the verbs in this Psalm, make a list of all the actions God has taken on our behalf. Think on, meditate on, and use these words in a prayer to God – thanking Him for what He has done, is doing and will do in the future in your life.