By Katherine F., age 15 

"What's in a name?" Everyone has a name, like Katie or Jessica or Elizabeth. What's the purpose of your name? To help people identify you. But what happens when, say, you and your cousin both have the same first name? Catholics often name all of their daughters Mary and then give them each a different middle name, like Mary Margaret and Mary Catherine. The purpose of this is also to identify each person clearly as possible. In the old days, a person was nicknamed according to their occupation (John Baker), interesting abilities they had (what do you think of Tom Wiggle-Ears?), or where they lived (Mary Woods).

What about God? Does God have any other names? Yes, He does! Even though we usually hear names like God, Jesus, and Lord more often than anything else, God also has some specific names for special purposes. Just as your mother might call you by a nickname to express affection, Jesus called His Father his "Abba Father". This is an endearing term from a child to a father, and shows how close Jesus felt to his heavenly parent.

Jesus has a name not quite as well known, but still often heard: Emmanuel. Emmanuel means "God with us". Whenever people called Jesus by this name, they were to remember that God cared about them enough to send His Son to earth to be with us.

What's the first name of God ever used in the Bible? Nope...it's not "God". Have you ever heard the name Elohim (EL-o-HEEM)? It means God as a Creator. The first verse of the first chapter of the first book of the Bible means this: "In the beginning, God {Elohim} created the heavens and the earth." The word "El" means "mighty" and is used in reference to gods, especially our Almighty God. The ending of Elohim is a significant plural ending meaning that there is more than one. But it does not mean, "In the beginning the gods created the heavens and the earth." NO! This is the God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit working together as the Trinity to create this universe. Not only did Elohim create all of those different galaxies and planets, He also created the people on this earth. In Psalm 139:14 David, king of Israel wrote:

I will praise thee;
for I am fearfully and wonderfully made:
Marvelous are thy works;
and that my soul knoweth right well.
Psalm 139:14           

El Roi. (EL ROY) What does this mean? This name means "The God who Sees". What does he see? He saw Hagar when she ran away from her mistress Sarai. (Genesis 16) He sees you when you are hurting. Perhaps you feel that nobody understands you - or no one cares. You can run to El Roi and pray for help - He will help you!

The name Adonai (ADD-on-EYE) means Lord. It means Lord, Master, and Owner. But Adonai is a loving Master, one who will watch over you as you obey His commands.

Jehovah is used more than 6,800 times in the Bible! Moses learned this name while flat on His face before God. The Jews considered it the most sacred of all God's names - so sacred, in fact, they wouldn't even say the name. Some even went so far that before writing this name (if they ever had to), they would take a complete ritual bath, put on clean clothes, and write the name using a brand-new pen. Aren't you glad that, rather than having to do this, we as Christians can say this name out loud whenever we need help? God is so good! This name is so important that the names below are built upon this one.

Jehovah-Jireh means "The Lord will provide." Jehovah-jireh prevented Isaac from being sacrificed on Mount Moriah and provided a ram in his stead. Jehovah-jireh also sent His Son into the world to be our sacrifice. God has provided a substitute for us, so we will not need to die for our sins. But we need to reach out and accept his provision.

Jehovah-Rapha - the Lord who Heals. God heals all of us - our bodies, our emotions, and our souls. He brings healing when we are sick, salvation when we are faced with death, and soothing when we bring our hurts to Him. Jeremiah 17:14 says,

Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed;
save me, and I shall be saved:
for thou art my praise. 

Jehovah-Nissi means "The Lord My Banner". "Now", you're wondering, "why in the world do I need a banner?" In the ancient times, warring armies brought a banner or pennant into battle. During the battle, they would look up to the flag and if it was still held high, they would continue to fight with courage and confidence. The Lord will be our confidence when we encounter "battles" in our real life as well!

Jehovah-Shalom. The Lord is Peace. The name does not mean, the Lord is bringing peace, nor does it mean the Lord was peace. It means the Lord IS peace! He will bring you peace ask you seek Him.

Jehovah-Raah means the Lord is my Shepherd. Most of us are very familiar with Psalm 23. But do you know what a shepherd does? Sheep are not known for their brains - as a matter of fact, sheep are pretty stupid. A herd of sheep without a shepherd would be totally helpless. But with Jehovah-raah as our shepherd, there is truly "nothing we shall want"!

May the Lord bless you as you continue to seek Him!