What do Elohim, El Shaddai, Adonai, Yahweh, Jehovah, and El Olam have in common? They are all different names for God. Elohim means Creator, might, and strong. El Shaddai means God almighty. Adonai means Lord. Yahweh and Jehovah mean Lord as well. El-Olam means Mighty God. That is just a couple of the names that we have for the Father. As we learn to trust Him more, we begin to know the Lord by these names. Some of us know the Lord as El Olam because we have seen how mighty he is. Another name for the Lord is Yahweh-Shalom, which means the Lord of peace. We know him as Shalom because of the peace He has provided in our life. I believe as we grow in the Lord that we will begin to call Him by these names as they begin to manifest in our lives.
As we call the Father by different names, I also believe that the Father has a differeent name chosen for each one of us as well. In the old and new testament, there are many examples where God has given chosen individuals a new name. God gave Abram the name Abraham, meaning father of multitudes. God gave Sarai the name Sarah, meaning princess or a woman of high rank. Jacob was given the name Israel by the Father. Simon was given the name Peter by Jesus. God gave each of these people a new name for a reason, and each name was very impactful to the person it was given.
John Eldridge wrote a book called, Waking the Dead, about how a person can become “fully alive” in Christ. In a portion of the book, Eldridge talked about this idea of seeking a new name from the Lord. Eldridge described that the Lord wanted to give him a new name that reflects the person He wants him to be. I am a member of a group nine men that meet each year for a men’s retreat to seek the Lord. Recently we all decided that we would begin to seek out a new name that God has given us. We decided that once we were given our name, we would have a ceremony for that person during our annual retreat. This year (2018), Bill and I received new names from the Lord and had ceremonies during the retreat. The ceremony was more of an affirmation from the rest of the men in our group and a great time of prayer.
I remember initially when we decided to seek our new names that I had no idea what that meant. I understood the basic concept, but I did not understand what that meant spiritually. It was not something I could just ask my pastor or ask my parents to tell me. It was something that I had to seek out. Only one person could give me that name, and His name is Jesus. Initially I would read the Word and think in my head “that would be a really cool name”. I was guessing, because for some strange reason I was afraid to get my new name. One thing I have always lacked since post-college is confidence. I was afraid to get my new name because I thought it would be negative. In other words, I was lacking confidence and faith in how I thought Jesus viewed my life.
So the months started to pass as I was seeking my new name because I was lacking this faith. As the days went by I grew less confident that I would receive my name, and for awhile I really stopped seeking my name. Our annual retreat is usually in early June, and it must have been February or March when Bill told me that he received his name from the Lord. I was so excited for Bill and could tell that the name Jesus gave him was a gift. From that day forward I started seeking my name like it was the only thing I had to do in life. I wanted that name so bad, and I told the group that I would have that name no matter what before our retreat.
My pursuit of my name came instantly and I think when I heard Bill’s new name something clicked in my spirit. I feel like the Lord showed me that this is a gift from Him. He showed me that day that I am a sinner and that yes I do really foolish things. But His son died for my sins so that I have a clean slate and to leave those foolish things behind. The Lord is there to give me that confidence each day. He wants to give me a new name so that I can help my brothers seek their names. He wanted to give me a new name so that I can understand how the Lord views my life. As John Eldridge wrote, He wants me to know my name so that it reflects the person He wants me to be. It doesn’t matter the plans I have for me life, because He knows better than me. The name my parents gave me is so special to me. But the name the Lord gave me is infinitely more special, because the Lord leads my every step.
Guess what? I received that name from the Lord. I received that name from the Lord and through the ceremony our brotherhood was able to affirm that name. Funny thing was my dad was able to affirm that name for me before we had our annual retreat. God was waiting to give me that name for a long time. He just wanted to spend time with me before He gave it to me......
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