Glory in His Name

Our body needs nourishment to be healthy, and so does our soul. The Word of God provides this nourishment for our spiritual health and growth as followers of Jesus Christ. Yet, comparatively few who occasionally read the Bible are aware of the awe-inspiring and worship-provoking majesty of the names and titles of God. I invite you to take time to read the Scripture passages for each day before reading the devotional thoughts.

This devotional guide is provided to help us meditate more fully on His greatness from a theological perspective. Jesus is the manifestation of God the Father. The greatness of Christ explains the greatness of the Father. “God is Spirit” (John 4:24), and can only be known spiritually. But fallen man is not spiritually attuned to God. Unless he is born again, he cannot see the things of God (John 3:3), much less comprehend them (1 Cor. 2:14). We become one of God’s own by “believing in His name,” which means believing that Jesus as the eternal Creator became one of us, took our sin upon Himself, died on the cross, rose from the dead, and is again with God the Father, interceding for us.

These varying names are but a small reflection of God’s total being. The Bible also presents the nature of God in several different titles, which more informally express various facets of His character. He is so majestic and glorious that neither one nor the totality of all names or titles can adequately express His fullness. Although God reveals Himself through His names, we can still only know Him “in part.” “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face” (1 Cor. 13:12). His names speak of His nature, and in order to comprehend them, even in part, we must be partakers of that nature.

No outline of the names and titles of God can present a total picture, for “His greatness is unsearchable” (Psalm 145:3). Yet, the Bible makes it abundantly clear that whatever is necessary for us to know about God can be known. In these names and titles there seems to be a progressive revelation of God’s meeting every need as it arises in the experience of His people. We see that He is at work, saving, sustaining, strengthening, and sanctifying, meeting the developing spiritual life and needs of His people. The Holy Spirit illumines our hearts to reveal to us “the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6). Even though that spiritual knowledge is fragmentary, the believer needs to “grow” in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus (2 Pet. 3:18).

The principal aim of this book is to help us “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Col. 1:10). It is designed to help us grow by meditating on God’s greatness. Please begin with prayer, asking the Lord for guidance, expressing dependence on Him to obey His Word. It has been said that “prayer is the mightiest force in the universe,” and most of us would agree that there is power in prayer. Yet we often spend so little time praying. Let us ask God to cause these daily meditations on His names to lead us to a dynamic discovery of His sufficiency in the midst of any situation we may face.

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name

1 Chronicles 16:29

Angel of the Lord

Anointed

Abba

Architect

Advocate

Alpha

1

The Old Testament appearances of Christ as the Angel of the Lord1 have their significance in the fact that He has always sought to manifest Himself to His people.

God made known long beforehand what title His Anointed2, One, the Messiah, would receive. The prophecy of Jesus’ anointing is found in Psalm 45:7-8: “You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of joy above Your fellows.” Jesus speaks of His anointing in Isaiah 61:1: “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted.” The anointing is for power and for understanding of God’s truth.

Abba” is an Aramaic word which speaks of a close relationship—the relationship of endearment. A slave was not allowed to address his master as “Abba.” As believers, we have the privilege of calling Him Abba! Father! 3 and knowing that He is our provider. Knowing Him personally in such an endearing relationship can have a profound effect upon us as we continue to discover our Savior’s greatness.

As the Architect,4 God not only knows the end from the beginning, but He also planned, fixed, and directed everything from the beginning. While God is the Architect of the whole universe, He is also our Architect, putting things in their proper places and making something beautiful and useful of our lives.

As Advocate,5 He is the Divine Lawyer who pleads our case. This name does not suggest that Jesus died to placate God’s anger against sin alone and is now pleading with Him to persuade Him to forgive us. On the contrary, Jesus is our defense attorney against all of Satan’s accusations. His defense? The price is already paid.