God

God

The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born tonight in Bethlehem, the city of David!

Luke 2:11

When we watch movies that are set in past centuries of English history, it’s not unusual to hear a subject addressing a king as “My Lord,” acknowledging a man of renowned power or authority. Although the word Lord is short, it is packed with tremendous meaning throughout the Bible. The Old Testament word for God is translated “Lord” in our English versions of the Bible because in late Old Testament times Jews chose not to pronounce the sacred name of God but to say instead “my Lord.” Because Jesus taught believers to speak in a familiar way to God, we now address God by many names when we pray—Lord, Shepherd, Redeemer, Provider, Father, and more, stemming from the original names of God included in Old Testament accounts.

Probably the most important name for God in the Old Testament was Jehovah, meaning “I am who I am.”

One of my reference books reads, “His ‘I am’ expresses the fact that he is the infinite and original personal God who is behind everything and to whom everything must finally be traced.”^a

Other names in honor of the Lord that are included in the Old Testament are: Jehovah-Jireh (“The Lord will provide”), Jehovah-Nissi (“The Lord is my banner”), Jehovah-Shalom (“The Lord is peace”), Jehovah-Shammah (“The Lord is there”), Jehovah-Tsebaoth (“The Lord of hosts”), and Jehovah Elohe Yisrael (“The Lord God of Israel”).

When we address God as Lord and teach our children to address him as Lord, we recognize him as the only one who has infinite power to provide strength, peace, and security in our lives just as he has for others in the past.

Father,

Thank you for the honor of your name. May we teach our children always to have great respect for you as our Lord, Shepherd, Provider, and Redeemer. Amen.