Getting to Know God: Introduction

Although I'm not a firm believer in New Year's resolutions, I've decided to set a few goals for the upcoming year. One of those goals, as I've already mentioned, is to improve my health. Another goal I have is to gain a greater understanding and appreciation of the God I serve. In my opinion, one of the best ways to accomplish that task is to familiarize myself with His many names. For the next several weeks, I plan to dig deep to uncover the true character and personality of God through the study of His multiple names found in the Bible.

Officially, my name means "from Sweden", but that doesn't really tell you much about my character or nature. In the Bible, however, names were very significant and had great meaning. For example, remember Jacob, the son of Isaac? His name meant "trickster", and he certainly lived up to his name. He tricked his brother, Esau, out of the birthright and later tricked his father, Isaac, out of the blessing. After his wrestle with the Lord in the wilderness, God changed his name to Israel, a sign that Jacob had become a new man.

Likewise, each name of God mentioned in the Bible has significant meaning and gives us a deeper insight into his very nature. By understanding both His names and His nature, we can grow closer to Him and even enhance our praise of His holy name. And that, my friends, is the purpose behind this extended study.

We serve a God who is beyond understanding, and though we will never truly uncover his depth this side of heaven, we can at least know Him as He is revealed through his names in the Bible. Such a marvelous God cannot be described with one single word or one common name. No, on the contrary, it takes a multitude of names just to scratch the surface of all He is.

My goal, as the year progresses, is to know the Lord more and more and to have a deeper understanding of His character. I pray that you, too, will benefit from this study and that the knowledge shared will bring you into a closer relationship with the Father and an increased faith for the years to come.