What Aspects of God's Nature Have You Experienced?

What aspect of God's nature have you experienced? God is so great that we cannot describe Him with just one adjective, and His work is so powerful that we cannot confine Him to a single characteristic. No matter how many years we have, we will never stop learning about God and his multifaceted character. Thinking of this, led me to analyze what parts of God's essence I already know and what parts I still need to know and experience.

Here is a breakdown of some of the names that cover different aspects of God's nature and character:

1. JEHOVAH, YAHWEH- He who will be, is, and was. It is the proper name of God. In the Spanish Bibles, SEÑOR is written in all capital letters to differentiate it from ADONAI, Lord. YHWH/YHVH- I am the self-existent one. God never changes, never fails, and never abandons us. He is always faithful. It is the name of God revealed to Moses. It appears 6,800 times in the Bible.

And God said unto Moses, “I Am That I Am.” And He said, “Thus shalt thou

say unto the children of Israel, "I Am hath sent me unto you." Exodus 3:14.

“Listen, Israel: The Lord our God is the only Lord. Deuteronomy 6:4.

2. ADONAI - The Lord, My great Lord. God is the master and Lord. He is our authority. This term was used to replace YHWH, which they considered too holy to pronounce.

O Adonai, our Lord, how glorious is your name throughout the earth! You

who exalted your majesty above the heavens; Psalm 8:1.

3. ABBA (Father)- Word of Aramaic origin. It means father, daddy, or papa. It was used as an invocation (My Father) addressed to God. It is a more affectionate way of addressing God and indicates a more intimate relationship with Him.

And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts,

which cries out: Abba, Father! Galatians 4:6.

4. ELOHIM- The Almighty Creator. God is the almighty creator of the universe. God knows everything; He creates all things and is everywhere. It is the plural of Him. For many, the word Elohim is proof of the Trinity. Elohim comes from the verb ALLAH (to swear) and describes someone under a covenant. Elohim is the God who keeps the covenant and remembers us in his love and mercy.

In the beginning, God (Elohim)created heaven and the earth. And the earth

was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep.

And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. Genesis 1:1-2.

5. EL SHADDAI- The all-sufficient, The God of the mountains, Almighty God. God is the inexhaustible source of all blessing, He is Almighty, and there is nothing greater than Him.

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and

said, I am the Almighty God (El Shaddai); walk before me and be perfect.

And I will establish my covenant with you, and I will multiply you greatly.

Genesis 17:1-2.

6. JEHOVAH JIREH- The Lord will provide. Just as God provided a ram as a substitute for Isaac and his son Jesus as a redemptive sacrifice, God will supply all our needs.

Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, he saw a ram

behind him caught by the horns in a thicket; and Abraham went and took the

ram and offered it as a burnt offering instead of his son. And Abraham called

that place by the name of The Lord Will Provide (Jehovah Jireh), as it is said

to this day: In the mount of the Lord, it will be provided. Genesis 22:13-14.

7. JEHOVAH RAFA- The Lord heals. God is our healer, not only physically but spiritually speaking.

And he said: If you listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God, and do

what is right in his eyes, and listen to his commandments, and keep all his

statutes, I will not send you any of the diseases that I sent on the Egyptians;

because I, the Lord, am your healer. Exodus 15:26

8. JEHOVAH NISSI- The Lord is our banner. God gives us the victory against sin and the flesh. Our battles are between good and evil, of light against darkness. In ancient times, armies fought under a flag that identified the tribe or nation. We fight the battle of faith, and our banner is the Lord of Hosts.

And Moses built an altar and called the name of it Jehovahnissi:16 For he

said Because the Lord hath sworn that the Lord will have war with Amalek

from generation to generation. Exodus 17:15-16.

9. JEHOVAH SHALOM- Prince of Peace, The Lord is Peace. God gives peace to our life, not as the world gives it that is ephemeral but eternal. God is our peace, our well-being. It is the name given by Gideon to the altar he built after the Angel of the Lord had assured him that he would not die.

So Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it “The Lord is Peace,”

which to this day stands in Ophra of Abiezer. Judges 6:24.

For a child has been born to us, a son has been given to us, and sovereignty

will rest on his shoulders; and his name will be called Wonderful Counselor,

Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6.

10. JEHOVAH SHAMMAH- The Lord is present. The Lord is my companion. It means God is here. He is also known as Yahweh Sama. God revealed to Exequiel that the name of the new Jerusalem would be: The Lord is present. The Holy Spirit dwells in us. God is with us always. His presence is accessible to us whenever we seek him.

Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you, and behold, I am

with you every day, until the end of the world. Matthew 28:20.

11. JEHOVAH KJAIL- Jehovah is my strength, my strength. The word strength comes from the Hebrew Oz, strength, and power. So is our God. It is He who gives us the strength to continue. He is the one who strengthens us amid trial.

Jehovah is my strength and my song and has been my salvation. This is my

God, and I will praise him; God of my father, and I will exalt him. Exodus

15:2.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13.

12. JEHOVAH SELA- Jehovah my Rock. God is our rock. He is the one who sustains us and gives us support.

Jehovah, my rock and my castle, and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in

Him I will trust; My shield, and the strength of my salvation, my high refuge.

Psalm 18:2.

14. JEHOVAH SELICHOT- God of forgiveness. In our nature, we can become slow to forgive. God's mercy grants us forgiveness, but it is up to us to be worthy of it by doing what corresponds to us, like forgiving others. Forgiveness frees us, and that is what God wants us to be completely free.

They did not want to hear, nor did they remember your wonders that you had

done with them; before they stiffened their necks, and in their rebellion, they

thought to set up a leader to return to their servants. But you are God who

forgives, merciful and merciful, slow to anger, and great in mercy because

you did not abandon them. Nehemiah 9:17.

There are more characteristics of God; I could spend all day mentioning names and aspects of God. He is so big that He cannot be boxed. He is EVERYTHING. When we learn His essence, we realize that there are many aspects of His character unknown to us. He is an infinite, eternal being.

I am the Alpha and the Omega—says the Lord God—the one who is, who

was, and who is to come, the Almighty. Revelation 1:8.

Therefore, our life will not be enough to fully know and experience Him, but it will be enough to rejoice in His presence. The best thing is that nothing can separate us from His Love, and He promised to be with us always.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, distress,

persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, or sword? As it is written; For thy

sake, we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the

slaughter. Nay, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him

that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels,

nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor

height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from

the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8: 35-39.

PRAYER:

Lord, awaken in us a hunger to know more about you, to experience and enjoy your presence. Help us seek more of you; that nothing conforms us, but that we yearn for more. We want to know you in all aspects, be intimate with you daily, and obey you in everything. Clean us and renew us. Make us new (as the choir says.) We want your presence to flood us every day. Lord, without you, we are nothing. Thank you for teaching us that you are more powerful than any circumstance and that you are in control of every aspect of our lives. Take care of us, protect us, and guide us. We place our lives and the lives of our loved ones in your hands. In the name of Jesus, Amen.