Hidden away in a secret place in our house is a box full of journals and I mean journals! So. Many. Journals. I started journaling in college when a professor challenged us to chronicle God’s faithfulness throughout our life. I’m so glad he did that and that I took him up on it. Journaling my prayers has become a regular rhythm of my spiritual walk with Jesus. There are times that I put down the pen for a bit but I always come back to writing out prayers to Jesus.
A few years later, as I evaluated my prayers, I realized how often my prayers began with asking God for specific things in our family and extended family, guidance for my husband and me in ministry, and our church family. But I realized that I was missing a crucial aspect in my prayers - and that was adoration. What does it mean to adore God? How was I going to add that to my journal-prayers?
Right about this time I was given a little handwritten booklet called, “Names with Which We Praise the Lord” and this gift answered my questions. It has over 290 words from A to Z that describe God. I began picking one aspect of God each day and spending a portion of my journaling adoring God using that word. The effect of starting my day with adoring God often changed my perspective going into that day. It also changed the focus of my prayers. It helped me adore God first and then opened the door for my loving Father to hear my requests, thoughts, needs and desires. I found that some of the names were easy to journal like “faithful,” but then there were some names that I really had to think deeply about like “owner.” My journal for that word might start like this: “God you are the owner of my heart. You are the owner of my life. You are the owner of my family. You are the owner of my ministry.” When you start a prayer this way, it will transform the rest of your prayer. I guarantee it!
Here are a few of the names of God that captured my view of God and helped me to “fix my eyes on Him, the author and perfecter of my faith.” (Hebrews 12:2) Maybe picking one per day would be a good addition to your time of adoration.
A – Alpha, Almighty, Advocate
B - Bread, Bridegroom, Branch
C – Creator, Conqueror, Comforter
D – Dwelling place, Deliverer, Delight
E – Everlasting, Exalted, Emmanuel
F – Father, Fountain, Finisher
G – Guide, Gatherer, Giver
H – Holy, Humble, Hope
I – Instructor, Incomparable, Infallible
J – Judge, Jealous, Joy
K – King, Keeper, Key
L – Lamb of God, Longsuffering, Life
M – Master, Measureless, Majesty
N – Nourisher, Nearest, Needed
O – Omniscient, Omnipresent, Owner
P – Prophet, Priest, Protector
Q – Quickener, Queller of storms, Quiet
R – Restorer, Refiner, Rescuer
S – Splendor, Satisfier, Stronghold
T – Transformer, Treasure, Tender
U – Uniter, Upholder, Unwearied
V – Vine, Vision, Vanquisher
W – Word, Wise, Wounded
X – eXcellent, eXceeding
Y – Yoke bearer
Z – Zealous