Thanksgiving

Names of God prayers

Any time, Drive time

Keep an envelope handy that’s full of paper slips listing various names for God. Pray simple prayers of praise based on these names.

Most of us remember the childhood prayer that begins with the phrase, God is great, God is good, let us thank Him . . . Yes, God is great and God is good, but He is so much more too! To teach your children about the many dimensions of God’s character, keep an envelope in your car or at the kitchen table that’s full of slips of paper with various “names of God” written on them.

Every time you go for a drive or sit down to eat, have your child pull out one name for God and pray together, based on the name. For example, “The God of all Comfort” is one of God’s special names. You can pray a simple prayer together along those lines, such as, Thank You God for being like a warm quilt on a cold night. When times are rough, what a comfort it is to have You as our Comforter! Amen. (This name and prayer are based on 2 Corinthians 1:2-4.)

Here are some more names of God to inspire praise. The first two columns listing names of God and supporting Scriptures are reproduced, with permission, from Time Out: Prayer Retreat Manual by Mary Kassian (Kingdom Communications Inc., 2005).

Name of God Supporting Scripture Sample prayer of praise
“El”
Mighty One
Psalm 50:1-2
“The Mighty One, God, the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to where it sets. From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth.”
God Almighty, You are the Mighty One. As we see the sun rise and set each day, please remind us of Your beauty and Your power. Amen.
“El Shaddai”
God Almighty
Revelation 4:8b
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.”
Lord God Almighty, only You are holy. Thank You for being the Lord of yesterday and today. You are the Lord of tomorrow and the next day too. Amen.
“Borey”
Creator
Isaiah 40:28
“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom.”
God, You are the Creator of the earth. You never get tired and You never grow old. Thank You for making __________. Amen.
“Ha-El-ha-Nora”
Awesome God
Nehemiah 9:32a
“Now therefore, our God, the great God, mighty and awesome, who keeps His covenant of love, do not let all this hardship seem trifling in Your eyes . . .”
Awesome God, today we want to praise You for being so amazing! Thank You for __________________. Amen.
“El ha-Kavod”
God of Glory
Psalm 29:3-4
“The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord thunders over the mighty waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic.”
God of Glory, when I hear the thunder and it is scary, please help me remember that it is Your power making the big rumbles! Amen.
“Melek ha-Goyim”
King of the Nations
Jeremiah 10:6-7
“No one is like You, Lord; You are great, and Your name is mighty in power. Who should not revere You, King of the nations? This is Your due. Among all the wise leaders of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is no one like You.”
God, You are great! You are King of the nations! You are wiser than all the wise men in the world! Amen.
“Yahweh Rophey”
Lord Healer
Exodus 15:26
“He said, ‘If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in His eyes, if you pay attention to His commands and keep all His decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.’ ”Psalm 103:2-3
“Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all His benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases . . .”
Lord God, today we want to thank You for being the One who makes us better when we are sick. Thank You for forgiving us too – healing the sin-sickness in our hearts. Amen.
“Yaweh Shalom”
The Lord is Peace
Judges 6:24
“So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord Is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites ”
Philippians 4:6-7
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
God of Peace, we pray today, thanking You for ___________ (name a stressful or difficult situation relationally). We ask You to give us peace in place of ________ (worry / fear / fighting etc.). Thank You. Amen.
“Hatsur”
The Rock
Deuteronomy 32:4
“He is the Rock, His works are perfect, and all His ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He.”
God, You are our Rock! Thank You for being solid and strong like a rock! You are faithful and we trust You! Amen.
“Pele Yo-ets”
Wonderful Counsellor
Isaiah 9:6
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
John 14:26
“But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”
God, thank You for giving us Your Holy Spirit as our teacher! We want to be willing to learn everything You want to teach us! Amen.
“Uzzi Yawhe Chizqi”
O Lord, My Strength
Psalm 59:16-17
“But I will sing of Your strength, in the morning I will sing of Your love; for You are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. You are my strength, I sing praise to You; You, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely.”
God, when we feel weak, please be our Strength. We want to sing praise to You, even in times of trouble. Amen.
“Immanuel”
God With Us
Isaiah 7:14
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.”
Jesus, thank You for living on earth as a person. Thank You for being with us every day too! Amen.
“Ek Theos”
Love
1 John 4:16
“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.”
God, You are love! Please fill us with Your love so we can share it with others. Amen.
“Moshiach”
Messiah / Christ
John 1:41
“The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (that is, the Christ).”
Philippians 2:8-15
“And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Jesus Christ, today we bow down and call You Messiah and Lord. You are Lord of this earth and Lord of the whole universe. We invite You to be Lord in our home and Lord in our hearts too. Amen.