Over the past 180 days, I’ve prayed a lot. I tend to spend my time in prayer focused on telling God, reminding God, asking God, pleading with God my needs and desires. Whether I have 5 minutes or 25 minutes, my prayer time has been about me. Over and over, I have failed to remember that God KNOWS my needs and desires; He doesn’t need me to remind Him. There are times at the end of my prayer time I feel better-having voiced my concerns out loud. Other times, as the ‘amen’ left my lips, I still felt anxious and worried and wondered why my prayers didn’t seem to help.
I listened to a pastor speak recently about the power of prayer and how that’s different than talking about the problem when it hit me what I was missing. Sure, I was checking my box on ‘praying’, but my prayers really weren’t more than my talking about my problems to God rather than telling my problems who my God is. He spoke about what could happen when I worshiped and reveled in God’s names and nature as I realized He is sovereign over ALL my needs. He spoke about peace, blessings, and power that could come as I focused on how great and mighty God is.
I took the pastor’s advice and began to write out the various names and nature of God. Below is a small sample.
El Shaddai-The Lord God Almighty
Jehovah Raah-The Lord My Shepherd
Jehovah Rapha-The Lord who Heals
Jehovah Shammah-The Lord is There
El Olam-The Everlasting God
Jehovah Jireh-The Lord Will Provide
El Roi-The God Who Sees
Jehovah Mekoddishkem-The Lord Who Sanctifies
Jehovah Nissi-The Lord is My Victory
Jehovah Shalom-The Lord is Peace
Jehovah Adon Kal Ha’arets-The Lord of All the Earth
Jehovah Gibbor Milchamah-The Lord is Mighty in Battle
Jehovah Go’el-The Redeemer
Jehovah Hoshe’ah-The Lord Who Saves
Jehovah Machsi-The Lord is My Refuge
Jehovah Uzi-The Lord My Strength
Instead of telling God what He already knows regarding my needs, I am focused on reminding myself and my problems who my God is. He is Jehovah Jireh who provides all that I need. He is Jehovah Uzi, my strength. No matter what I’m walking through, God is El Roi and Jehovah Machsi-the One who Sees and my Refuge. As I walk through storm after storm, I have Jehovah Shammah and Jehovah Gibbor Milchamah-the God who is There and the God who is Mighty in Battle walking IN my storm with me. On the days I worry whether Chris’s body will heal, I remind myself that my God is Jehovah Rapha, the Lord who Heals.