This article by Caroline Saunders originally appeared in the August 2026 edition of Mature Living Magazine.
I love to name things. When I fell into a deep smoothie habit in college, my friends gifted me a pink KitchenAid® blender for my birthday, and I immediately began brainstorming what I would call her. One contender was “Glinda the Blenda.” While this was a truly phenomenal option, I finally settled on Ms. Nancy Bobo – which, I am sorry to tell you, has zero meaning or backstory.
Ms. Nancy is too tired to make smoothies anymore (translation: the blender is broken, but she still lives in our kitchen cabinet. Would I be able to get rid of the blender if I hadn’t named her? Probably. But she’s not just a blender; she’s Ms. Nancy, and I’m not going to throw Ms. Nancy out just because she’s retired.
Perhaps this is a ridiculous observation, but if a meaningless name can grow my affection for an appliance, imagine how much God’s meaning-rich names can grow our affection for Him! God has lots of names, and they all matter because they help us know and love Him more. They tell us what He’s like, they tell us what He’ll do, and they are an invitation for us to know Him by name.
GOD’S NAMES TELL US WHAT HE’S LIKE
God’s names are more than a label — they tell us what He’s like. God always lives up to His name. Because of this, each name is an opportunity to meditate on God’s character.
For example, in Genesis 22:14, we learn the name Jehovah Jireh, which means “The LORD Will Provide.” “The LORD” indicates the divine name, which we sometimes refer to as Yahweh, Jehovah, or I AM. However you refer to this name, it indicates God’s presence, God’s limitlessness, God’s unchanging nature, and God’s self-existence. So in the name Jehovah Jireh, we learn God is present to provide, God has no limits that will keep Him from providing, God will never change His promise to provide, and God is self-existing in His provision—meaning no one created or coerces Him to provide. He simply is—and always is—the Provider.
Every time you encounter one of God’s names across the pages of Scripture, this is a gift that will give you another angle of what He’s like.
GOD’S NAMES TELL US WHAT HE WILL DO
God’s names show us not just who He is but who He is toward us. In other words, God’s names are irrevocably linked to God’s actions.
As Kristi McLelland memorably teaches in our study, The Names of God, biblical names are words of destiny, so “your name is your verb.” While God certainly tells us His names, He also shows His names. That’s why when we encounter a name of God in Scripture, we ought to pay attention to the narratives, instructions, or poem around it.
Think again of Jehovah Jireh, “The LORD Will Provide” Before we learn the label Jehovah Jireh, we see God acting as Jehovah Jireh. You’re likely familiar with the scene: A father is asked to offer his own son as an offering. Abraham trusted Jehovah Jireh, saying to his questioning son, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering” (Gen. 22:8). God did exactly that, and a beloved son was spared.
Jehovah Jireh would not stop Jehovah Jireh-ing once the Abraham scene was over. This is who He always is and what He always does. Those who know God’s name in Genesis 22 will recognize Him in Jesus’ atoning death in the Gospels. In Jesus, Jehovah Jireh provided a forever offering: a beloved Son who was not spared so that we might live. Praise God! Drink in this good news: When you learn God’s names, you can trust that they are also His actions.
WE ARE INVITED TO KNOW HIM BY NAME
Sometimes our study of God can feel detached from our real lives. That’s why it’s important to realize that while God’s names tell us who He is and what He will do, they are also a personal invitation to know Him by name.
A few years ago, I felt conviction that one of our kids needed to receive a particular kind of schooling. The problem? It was way outside the budget. But if this conviction was from God, I knew He would provide, and I began to pray. Within days, I received a work opportunity that would allow us to pay for it. In situations like this, a study of Jehovah Jireh that may have once felt dry or even irrelevant suddenly becomes deeply personal. He is not just Jehovah Jireh in theory but in my actual life. He doesn’t just provide in name — He provides for me, for my kids.
When we take the time to know God as Jehovah Jireh or Emmanuel or Savior in the pages of Scripture, we will inevitably begin to recognize Him by name in our lives. In worship, we cry out, “You are Jehovah Jireh! You are God Who Sees! You are Wonderful Counselor! You are the Word! You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life! You are the Alpha and the Omega!”
It’s an obvious statement, but it packs a punch if you really think about it: In studying God’s names, you will know Him by name. This changes everything.
How many times have we mistakenly believed God was small or incapable, like a faulty appliance with an interesting name but no real purpose? Imagine how everything might shift if you really knew His name — if you really meditated on what He’s like, if you believed Him for what He will do, and if you called Him by name in your daily life.
Dive deeper into the Names of God with this Bible study:
In this 8-session Bible study, six Bible teachers will walk you through the pages of Scripture to examine names for the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, discovering the impact each of God’s names has on your relationship with Him. Each name you encounter will inspire you to worship God for who He is and challenge you to consider how your life can be transformed in light of His character.
Read an excerpt from the Bible study.
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About Caroline Saunders
Caroline Saunders is a writer, pastor’s wife, and mother of three who believes in taking Jesus seriously and being un-serious about nearly everything else. She’s the author of Come Home: Tracing God’s Promise of Home Through Scripture and a contributor to The Names of God: A Study on Who God Is and Who Calls Us to Be.
