Read an Excerpt

Praying the Names of God
Copyright © 2004 by Ann Spangler
Requests for information should be addressed to:
Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Spangler, Ann.
Praying the names of God : a devotional guide / Ann Spangler.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 0-310-25353-5 (hardcover)
1. God--Name--Meditations. 2. Devotional calendars. I. Title.
BT180.N2S58 2004
231--dc22
2004011827 CIP
This edition printed on acid-free paper.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible: New
International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.
Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Other Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible,
copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of
Churches of Christ in the United States of America, and are used by permission. All rights
reserved.
The website addresses recommended throughout this book are offered as a resource to
you. These websites are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement on the part
of Zondervan, nor do we vouch for their content for the life of this book.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted in any form or by any means--electronic, mechanical, photocopy,
recording, or any other--except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior
permission of the publisher.
Interior design by Michelle Espinoza
Printed in theUnited States of America
04 05 06 07 08 09 10 /?DC/ 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

GOD, MIGHTY CREATOR
ELOHIM
The Name
Elohim is the Hebrew word for God that appears in the very first
sentence of the Bible. When we pray to Elohim, we remember that
he is the one who began it all, creating the heavens and the earth and
separating light from darkness, water from dry land, night from day.
This ancient name for God contains the idea of God's creative power
as well as his authority and sovereignty. Jesus used a form of the name
in his agonized prayer from the cross. About the ninth hour Jesus
cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"--which
means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Key Scripture
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)
Monday
GOD REVEALS HIS NAME
In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the
earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep,
while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God
said, "Let there be light." God called the light Day, and the darkness
he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning,
the first day.
And God said, "Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and
let it separate the waters from the waters." God called the dome Sky.
And God said, "Let the waters under the sky be gathered
together into one place, and let the dry land appear." God called
the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he
called Seas. Then God said, "Let the earth put forth vegetation:
plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear
fruit with the seed in it."
And God said, "Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to
separate the day from the night."
And God said, "Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures,
and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky."
And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures of
every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth
of every kind."
Then God said, "Let us make humankind in our image, according
to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the
sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all
the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that
creeps upon the earth."
So God created humankind in his image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply,
and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the
fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living
thing that moves upon the earth." God saw everything that he had
made, and indeed, it was very good. (Selected from Genesis 1 NRSV)
Elohim, Mighty One, you made everything out of nothing, imposed order
on chaos, gave birth to beauty, and called it all good. Help me to know you
as the one true God who created everything and everyone, the one who
has placed me on the earth for a purpose--to magnify your name. Amen.
Understanding the Name
Elohim (e-lo-HEEM) is the plural form of El or Eloah, one of the
oldest designations for divinity in the world. The Hebrews borrowed
the term El from the Canaanites. It can refer either to the
true God or to pagan gods. Though El is used more than 200 times
in the Hebrew Bible, Elohim is used more than 2,500 times. Its plural
form is used not to indicate a belief in many gods but to emphasize
the majesty of the one true God. He is the God of gods, the
highest of all. Christians may recognize in this plural form a hint of
the Trinity--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Elohim occurs thirty-two
times in the first chapter of Genesis. After that the name Yahweh
appears as well and is often paired with Elohim and, in the NIV, the
two together are translated "the LORD God."
Studying the Name
1. "Genesis" is a word that can mean "birth," "history of origin,"
or "genealogy." What can you observe about who God is from
this passage about beginnings?
2. What can you observe about the world he has made?
3. What do you think it means to be created in "the image of
God"? How would your life change if you lived with the constant
awareness that he created you to bear his image?
4. God seems delighted by what he has made, proclaiming it good
and even very good. How does God's assessment of creation
shape your own attitude toward the world? Toward yourself?
GOD, MIGHTY CREATOR
Tuesday
PRAYING THE NAME
Then God said, "Let us make humankind in our image, according to our
likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the
birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the
earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth."
So God created humankind in his image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply,
and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the
sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves
upon the earth." (Genesis 1:26-28 NRSV)
Reflect On: Genesis 1:26-28
Praise God: For his power in creating the heavens and the earth
out of absolutely nothing.
Offer Thanks: That God has not only created you, but made you in
his own image.
Confess: Any tendency to forget that every human life, including
your own, is sacred.
Ask God: To renew your sense of wonder and gratitude for the
things he has made.
A mighty God could have created a world quite different from the
one we know. It could have had perpetually dark skies, grass that
hurt to walk on, dogs that couldn't be housebroken, and people
incapable of love. Have you ever wondered why the world you take
for granted is often so stunningly beautiful? So pleasant to live in?
Why the people around you are capable of so much kindness?
So often we miss life's beauty because we are preoccupied by its
flaws. Instead of taking off our shoes to feel the feathery soft grass
beneath our feet, we complain that it's growing so fast we don't have
time to mow it. Rather than enjoying the gregarious woman behind
the supermarket counter, we blame her friendly chatter for delaying
the checkout line. And what about us? Who stares back from the
mirror each morning? A child of God who is growing daily in his
image or someone whose nose is too big or too small, whose hair is
in a state of perpetual rebellion, or whose skin is aged and worn?
Today, ask the God who made you to remake your sense of
wonder at his creative power.