One of the chief ways God has made Himself known is through the different names for Him we find in Scripture. Over the last few months our small group learned a lot as we looked at the different names of God presented in Scripture.
We discovered that a name is more than just a handy way of referring to someone else, it also gives us telling clues about a person’s identity and character.
Biblically speaking, the act of naming is linked to authority. Authority over someone or something was wielded by the person who chose its name. Adam, for instance, gave names to all the animals. By naming the other creatures, Adam established himself as their lord.
So we named the animals, but isn’t it interesting Biblically no one names God. The Lord names Himself. The Lord revealed His covenant name Yahweh at the burning bush; Moses did not come up with it on his own. (Exodus 3:14)  Other names of God reveal His character – Redeemer! Lamb! Savior! Friend!

Other names include:
God is Jehovah-shalom. This name means “the God of peace.”
God is Jehovah-rophe. This name means “Jehovah heals.”
God is El-Shaddai. This name means “God Almighty.”
God is Elohim. This name means “Strength” or “Power.”
“I like to think of God as …” is one of the most common ways that our culture tries to name God. People take the attributes of God they like, ignore the ones they don’t and end up with a God of their making. We need to be careful that we don’t do the same thing. We should not emphasize one of His attributes at the expense of the others, be it holiness, love, wrath, mercy, justice, goodness, immanence, or something else. We live in a pluralistic society that wants to make God in its own image. But we don’t get the luxury of naming Him - He names Himself. Only through standing firm upon the Lord’s own self-revelation and calling upon Him as He has revealed Himself can we guard the faith. (Jude 3)