Psalms 9:9,10 9 The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. 10 Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.

What is your name? This question has been asked of you for as long as you can remember. Your name is very important…so important that we have a paper that verifies our identity (birth certificate) and also a driver’s license. If you don’t have some form of identification in this world you can’t go anywhere or do anything.

If someone mentions a person’s name you know the first thing that happens to you is you try to get a mental picture of that person. You immediately try to identify them in your mind. If you don’t remember that person right away…the person who mentioned the name will begin to tell you things about them until you go…..oh yeah…I know them.

God has hundreds of names and each one of His names reveals something special about Him. I’m including a link here of a website that has a list of the names of God.  http://bible.org/article/names-god

Please take some time to read and study the names of God. Why is this so important? His names tell you who He is and they reveal His character, attributes and abilities. It Helps us to identify His personality and when we understand who He is in this way we began to know Him in a very personal way. This is His way of helping us to get close to Him our God who we can’t see…but can get to know. If we spend time just meditating on His name alone…..this will have a big effect getting to know Him better.

In Exodus 3:13-15 and 20:2 Moses asked God who he should say he is to the children of Israel. God gave Moses 3 names for Himself:

1. I Am
2. I Am Who I Am
3. I Am the LORD Thy God (Yahweh)

I feel God is saying to us that He is it!! There is nothing in front of Him and nothing in back of Him. There is no existence of any other being that has control of the any created things. There is no existence of any life or anything before Him or after Him….He is it, He is all, and He is…PERIOD!….don’t even think about it…don’t even go there!….He is!…That’s it!

He has another name that also states this in Revelation 21:1-8…..He says…”I AM ALPHA AND OMEGA”…which means…beginning and end.

When the disciples asked Jesus how to pray in Mathew 6 He told them this important way to address God…. Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

What does this mean? How do we hollow God’s name?

These are my ways of hollowing His name:

1. I respect the name of God.
2. I believe in His identity.
3. I’m obedient to His name.
4. I acknowledge God’s Holiness.
5. His name is glorified in my heart in the form of my worship to Him.
6. I live my life to reflect His name.
7. I give honor His name.
8. I fear the name of Lord.
9. I worship the ground God walks on (this means-I love Him with my whole heart).
10. I submit to God as the head of my life and have no other gods before me.

Names have an important place and meaning in our lives and one of the most important name that we should be focused on, memorizing, and meditating on is the names of our God.

Message for today: Know the names of God and you will have a more personal and intimate relationship with Him.