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Names of God

Twelve names that show us who our God really is.

12 days · 10 min/day
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In the Bible, God reveals Himself through His names — each one a window into His character, His promises, and His heart for His people. Over twelve days, your family will meet the Creator, the Provider, the Healer, the Shepherd, and ultimately Jesus, the One in whom every name finds its yes. Discover who God is, and rest in the good news that this God is for you.

How to use this

Pick a time you already gather — dinner, or just before bed — and keep it there. The whole thing takes about ten minutes.

Each day

  1. Read the passage together. On a busy night, just read the memory verse — that counts.
  2. Read the short devotion out loud.
  3. Talk through the questions. Let everyone answer in their own words; there are no wrong answers.
  4. Say the memory verse together, and try to remember it tomorrow.
  • Take turns being the reader — let the kids have a night.
  • Missed a day or three? That’s okay. Pick the thread back up. It’s a rhythm, not a streak.
  1. Day 1

    Elohim - The Creator

    Genesis 1:1-5; Genesis 1:26-27

    Before there was anything, there was God — and the very first thing the Bible tells us is that He made it all. The name Elohim shows us a God strong enough to speak light into darkness and wise enough to shape every star, every sea, and every living thing. Best of all, when He made people, He made them in His own image, on purpose and with love. That means you are not an accident; the same God who made the universe knows your name and made you to know Him.

    Talk about it

    • What does it tell us about God that He could make everything just by speaking?
    • How does it change your day to remember that God made you on purpose, in His image?
    • What is one thing God created that makes you want to thank Him?

    Memory verse · Genesis 1:1

    “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

  2. Day 2

    Yahweh - The LORD

    Exodus 3:13-15; Exodus 6:2-3

    When Moses asked God His name, God answered, 'I AM WHO I AM.' This name, Yahweh, tells us that God has always existed and always will — He depends on no one, and He never changes. The same God who spoke to Moses from the burning bush is the God who keeps His promises to His people forever. Later, Jesus would say 'before Abraham was, I AM,' showing us that He is this very same eternal Lord come to rescue us.

    Talk about it

    • What does it mean that God is the great 'I AM' who never changes?
    • Why is it good news that the God who helped Moses is the same God we pray to today?
    • When something in your life feels uncertain, how can it help to remember that God always stays the same?

    Memory verse · Exodus 3:14

    “God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM,” and he said, “You shall tell the children of Israel this: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’””

  3. Day 3

    El Shaddai - God Almighty

    Genesis 17:1-8

    God appeared to old Abraham and called Himself El Shaddai — God Almighty, the One with more than enough power to do what He promises. Abraham and Sarah had no children and were far too old, yet God promised to make them the family of many nations. Nothing is too hard for God Almighty, so Abraham could trust Him even when the promise seemed impossible. When our own situations feel too big, we can rest in the God for whom nothing is impossible.

    Talk about it

    • Why might God have wanted Abraham to know Him as 'God Almighty' before giving such a big promise?
    • What is something that feels impossible to you that you could bring to God Almighty?
    • How does trusting God's power help us wait patiently for His promises?

    Memory verse · Genesis 17:1

    “When Abram was ninety-nine years old, Yahweh appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty. Walk before me, and be blameless.”

  4. Day 4

    Adonai - Lord and Master

    Psalms 8:1-9

    David looks up at the moon and stars and bursts out, 'O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name!' To call God Adonai is to say He is our Master — the One who rightly rules over all things, and over us. And here is the wonder: this great King still cares about small people like us, crowning us with honor and giving us work to do in His world. When we let God be Lord of our lives, we are not losing our freedom; we are finding the One we were made to follow.

    Talk about it

    • What is something in creation that makes you say, like David, 'How majestic is God's name'?
    • What does it mean to let God be the 'Master' of your everyday choices?
    • Why is it amazing that such a great God would care about ordinary people like us?

    Memory verse · Psalms 8:1

    “Yahweh, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth, who has set your glory above the heavens!”

  5. Day 5

    Jehovah Jireh - The LORD Provides

    Genesis 22:1-14

    God tested Abraham in a hard way, and Abraham trusted that God would provide — and right at the last moment, God gave a ram to take Isaac's place. Abraham named that place Jehovah Jireh, 'The LORD Will Provide,' because God supplied exactly what was needed. This story points us far ahead to the cross, where God provided His own Son, Jesus, as the Lamb to take our place. The God who provided then is the same God who provides for your family today, and who gave His greatest gift to save us.

    Talk about it

    • How do you think Abraham felt when he saw the ram God provided?
    • How does this story help us trust God to provide what we really need?
    • How is Jesus like the lamb that God provided to take our place?

    Memory verse · Genesis 22:14

    “Abraham called the name of that place Yahweh Will Provide. As it is said to this day, “On Yahweh’s mountain, it will be provided.””

  6. Day 6

    Jehovah Rapha - The LORD Heals

    Exodus 15:22-27; Psalms 103:1-5

    In the desert, the thirsty Israelites found bitter water, and God made it sweet, revealing Himself as Jehovah Rapha — 'the LORD who heals you.' He cares about our bodies, but the psalm reminds us He heals something even deeper: He forgives all our sins. Sin is the sickness of the heart that only God can cure, and through Jesus He offers full forgiveness and new life. We can bring God both our scraped knees and our heavy hearts, trusting the Lord who heals.

    Talk about it

    • What are some of the different ways God can bring healing to us?
    • Why is being forgiven by God the deepest kind of healing we can receive?
    • When you or someone you love is hurting, how could you bring that to Jehovah Rapha?

    Memory verse · Exodus 15:26

    “and he said, “If you will diligently listen to Yahweh your God’s voice, and will do that which is right in his eyes, and will pay attention to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you, which I have put on the Egyptians; for I am Yahweh who heals you.””

  7. Day 7

    Jehovah Nissi - The LORD My Banner

    Exodus 17:8-16

    When enemies attacked Israel, the battle went well only as long as Moses held up his hands to God — so Aaron and Hur held his arms up when he grew tired. Afterward Moses built an altar and called it Jehovah Nissi, 'The LORD Is My Banner,' because the real victory came from God, not from their own strength. A banner was a flag an army gathered around, and God Himself is the flag we rally to. When life feels like a battle, we don't fight alone or in our own power — we look to the Lord our Banner, and we help each other keep looking to Him.

    Talk about it

    • Why was it important that Israel knew the victory came from God and not just from themselves?
    • How did Aaron and Hur help Moses, and how can we help each other keep trusting God?
    • What 'battle' in your life could you ask God to be your banner in this week?

    Memory verse · Exodus 17:15

    “Moses built an altar, and called its name Yahweh our Banner.”

  8. Day 8

    Jehovah Shalom - The LORD is Peace

    Judges 6:22-24; Isaiah 9:6-7

    Gideon was terrified when he realized he had met God, but the Lord said, 'Peace! Do not be afraid.' Gideon built an altar called Jehovah Shalom, 'The LORD Is Peace,' because God brought calm to his fearful heart. Centuries later, Isaiah promised a coming child who would be called the Prince of Peace — and that promise came true in Jesus. Real peace isn't just the absence of trouble; it's knowing we are right with God because of what Jesus has done, so we don't have to be afraid.

    Talk about it

    • What is the difference between feeling peaceful and truly having peace with God?
    • How might it have felt for Gideon to hear God say, 'Peace, do not be afraid'?
    • Where do you most need God's peace right now, and how can you ask Him for it?

    Memory verse · Judges 6:24

    “Then Gideon built an altar there to Yahweh, and called it “Yahweh is Peace.” To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.”

  9. Day 9

    Jehovah Rohi - The LORD My Shepherd

    Psalms 23:1-6; John 10:11-15

    David, who had been a shepherd himself, sang, 'The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.' A good shepherd leads his sheep to food and water, guards them in dark valleys, and never abandons them. Jesus later said, 'I am the good shepherd,' and showed His love by laying down His life for the sheep — for us. Because we have a Shepherd this good, we can walk through even the scariest valleys knowing He is with us and will never let us go.

    Talk about it

    • What are some of the ways a shepherd takes care of his sheep?
    • How does it comfort you that Jesus is with us 'even in the darkest valley'?
    • What does it mean to you that the Good Shepherd laid down His life for His sheep?

    Memory verse · Psalms 23:1

    “Yahweh is my shepherd: I shall lack nothing.”

  10. Day 10

    Jehovah Tsidkenu - The LORD Our Righteousness

    Jeremiah 23:5-6; Romans 3:21-26

    God promised a coming King from David's family who would be called 'The LORD Our Righteousness' — Jehovah Tsidkenu. None of us is good enough on our own; the Bible says we all sin and fall short of God's perfect goodness. But this is the heart of the good news: God offers us a righteousness we could never earn, given freely through faith in Jesus, who lived the perfect life and died in our place. We don't come to God dressed in our own good deeds; we come clothed in the goodness of Christ Himself.

    Talk about it

    • Why can't we make ourselves good enough for God by our own efforts?
    • What does it mean that Jesus gives us a goodness we could never earn ourselves?
    • How does it change the way we feel about God to know our acceptance is a free gift?

    Memory verse · Jeremiah 23:6

    “In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely. This is his name by which he will be called: Yahweh our righteousness.”

  11. Day 11

    Jehovah Shammah - The LORD is There

    Ezekiel 48:35; Revelation 21:1-4

    Ezekiel saw a vision of a future city, and its name said it all: Jehovah Shammah, 'The LORD Is There.' John's vision in Revelation fills out the picture — a new heaven and new earth where God lives right among His people, wiping away every tear, ending all death and crying and pain. The best part of heaven isn't golden streets; it's that God Himself will be there with us forever. Because Jesus has made the way, His people can look forward to the day when God will be near in every way, and nothing sad will ever happen again.

    Talk about it

    • What do you most look forward to about a place where 'the LORD is there'?
    • Why is God's presence with us the best part of the promise of heaven?
    • How can remembering this future hope help us when today is hard or sad?

    Memory verse · Revelation 21:3

    “I heard a loud voice out of heaven saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with people, and he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.”

  12. Day 12

    The Alpha and Omega

    Revelation 1:8; Revelation 22:12-13; Isaiah 44:6

    God calls Himself the Alpha and the Omega — the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet — meaning He is the beginning and the end of everything. In Isaiah, the LORD says there is no God besides Him; in Revelation, Jesus claims this very name as His own, showing us that Jesus is truly God. From the first words of creation to the last page of the Bible, the whole story belongs to Him, and He holds your story too. As we finish learning God's names, we rest in this: the One who started it all will bring it to a perfect end, and He invites us to be His own forever.

    Talk about it

    • What does it mean that God is both the beginning and the end of all things?
    • Why is it such good news that Jesus shares this name that belongs only to God?
    • Which of God's names from these twelve days will you most want to remember, and why?

    Memory verse · Revelation 22:13

    “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”

Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible (public domain). Devotions and reflection questions © Genesis Labs.

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