My prayer life can be pretty bland sometimes.

For me I think this is because  prayer doesn’t ever extend into the creative area of my life. I love to write, but I don’t write down my prayers. I love to create things, but I don’t create things that aid my prayer life. I love to study the Bible, but I don’t spend enough time studying the topic of prayer.

This is part one of a series on creative ways to pray. These practices have been very helpful to me and I hope they help your prayer life as well.

Praying the Names of God

This creative way to pray is a simple one: addressing God and Jesus by their names and titles in Scripture. Studying the names of God has made a significant difference in my prayer life. The name that has stuck with me over the past few weeks is Yahweh Shammah, or “The Lord is There” (Ezekiel 48:35). I often address God by this name in my prayers. This simple practice has helped me acknowledge that God is always there for me, even when I’m unaware of His presence.

Here’s something else that’s cool that I discovered. Many of the names in Scripture were given to God by a person. In other words, people created names for God that represented what He meant to them. One example is when Abraham called God by the name Yahweh Yireh after God provided a ram in the place of Isaac (Genesis 22:14). This name means “The Lord Will Provide” or “The Lord Sees.”

I encourage you to spend some time praying and reflecting on the names of God and the titles of Jesus. Maybe even try and come up with a name for what God means to you!

Here is a printable PDF booklet of the same names and titles below that you can use for your personal prayer time!

27 Names of God

YHWH / YAHWEH [yah-way]: “LORD” proclaimed to Moses “I Am who I Am” (Exodus 3:14; 34:6)
EL, ELOAH [el, el-oh-ah]: “God,” signifies power (Nehemiah 9:17; Psalm 18:31)
ELOHIM [el-oh-heem]: “God, Creator” plural form of ELOAH, technically “Gods” (Genesis 1:1)
EL SHADDAI [el-shah-dahy]: “God Almighty” (Genesis 17:1; Exodus 6:3)
ADONAI [ah-daw-nahy]: “Lord” (Genesis 15:2; Deuteronomy 6:15) – replaced YHWH because of sacredness
YAHWEH-YIREH [yah-way-yi-reh]: “The Lord Will Provide” or “The Lord Sees” (Genesis 22:14)
YAHWEH-RAPHA [yah-way-raw-faw]: “The Lord Who Heals” (Exodus 15:26)
YAHWEH-NISSI [yah-way-nee-see]: “The Lord Our Banner” (Exodus 17:15)
YAHWEH-M’KADDESH [yah-way-meh-kad-esh]: “The Lord Who Sanctifies” (Leviticus 20:8; Ezekiel 37:28)
YAHWEH-SHALOM [yah-way-shah-lohm]: “The Lord Our Peace” (Judges 6:24)
YAHWEH-ELOHIM [yah-way-el-oh-him]: “LORD God,” God of gods (Genesis 2:4; Psalm 59:5)
YAHWEH-TSIDKENU [yah-way-tzid-kay-noo]: “The Lord Our Righteousness” (Jeremiah 33:16)
YAHWEH-ROHI [yah-way-roh-hee]: “The Lord Our Shepherd” (Psalm 23:1)
YAHWEH-SHAMMAH [yah-way-sham-mah]: “The Lord Is There” (Ezekiel 48:35)
YAHWEH-SABAOTH [yah-way-sah-bah-ohth]: “The Lord of Hosts” (Isaiah 1:24; Psalm 46:7)
EL ELYON [el-el-yohn]: “Most High” none is higher (Deuteronomy 26:19)
EL ROI [el-roh-ee]: “God of Seeing” (Genesis 16:13)
EL-OLAM [el-oh-lahm]: “Everlasting God” (Psalm 90:2)
EL-GIBHOR [el-ghee-bohr]: “Mighty God” (Isaiah 9:6)
ATTIQ YOWM [at-teek-yohm]: “Ancient of Days” (Daniel 7:14)
THEOS [theh-os]: “God” in the NT (1 Tim. 1:17; John 1:1)
KYRIOS [koo-ree-os]: “Lord” (John 20:28; Romans 10:9) stresses authority, equivalent to Yahweh
CHRISTOS [khris-tos]: “Christ, Anointed, Messiah” (Matthew 1:1).
ABBA PATER [abba-pat-ayr]: “Abba Father” an intimate term akin to “Dad” (Mark 14:36; Romans 8:15)
LOGOS [log-os]: “Word” (John 1:1)
EMMANOUEL [em-man-oo-ale]: “Emmanuel, God with Us” (Matthew 1:23)
EGO EIMI [eg-o-ay-me]: “I Am” (John 8:58), from Exodus 3:14 “I Am who I Am”

80 Titles of Jesus

Advocate (1 John 2:1)
Almighty (Revelation 1:8; Matthew 28:18)
Alpha and Omega (Revelation 1:8)
Amen (Revelation 3:14)
Apostle and High Priest of our Confession (Hebrews 3:1)
Author of Life (Acts 3:15)
Beginning and End (Revelation 22:13)
Blessed and Only Sovereign (1 Timothy 6:15)
Bread of Life (John 6:35, 48)
Bridegroom (Matthew 9:15)
Bright Morning Star (Revelation 22:16)
Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4)
Cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20)
Deliverer (Romans 11:26)
Descendant of David (Revelation 22:16)
Door (John 10:9)
Eternal Life (1 John 1:2; 5:20)
Everlasting Father (Isaiah 9:6)
Faithful and True (Revelation 19:11)
Faithful Witness (Revelation 1:5)
Firstborn of All Creation (Colossians 1:15)
Firstborn of the Dead (Revelation 1:5)
Founder and Perfecter of our Faith (Hebrews 12:2)
Founder of Salvation (Hebrews 2:10)
Good Shepherd (John 10:11, 14)
Great High Priest (Hebrews 4:14)
Head of the Church (Ephesians 5:23)
Heir of All Things (Hebrews 1:2)
Holy and Righteous One (Acts 3:14; Psalm 16:10)
Hope (1 Timothy 1:1)
Hope of Glory (Colossians 1:27)
Horn of Salvation (Luke 1:69)
Image of the Invisible God (Colossians 1:15)
Judge of the Living and the Dead (Acts 10:42)
King of Israel (John 1:49)
King of kings and Lord of lords (1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 19:16)
King of the Ages (1 Timothy 1:17)
King of the Jews (Matthew 27:11)
King of the Nations (Revelation 15:3)
Lamb of God (John 1:29)
Lamb Without Blemish (1 Peter 1:19)
Last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45)
Life (John 14:6; Colossians 3:4)
Light of the World (John 8:12)
Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Revelation 5:5)
Living One (Revelation 1:18)
Lord of All (Acts 10:36)
Lord of Glory (1 Corinthians 2:8)
Man of Heaven (1 Corinthians 15:48)
Mediator Between God and Men (1 Timothy 2:5)
Mediator of the New Covenant (Hebrews 9:15)
Mighty God (Isaiah 9:6)
Only God (John 1:18)
Our Great God and Savior (Titus 2:13)
Our Husband (2 Corinthians 11:2)
Our Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7)
Our Redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30)
Our Righteousness (1 Corinthians 1:30)
Our Sanctification (1 Corinthians 1:30)
Power of God (1 Corinthians 1:24)
Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6)
Prophet (Acts 3:22)
Propitiation for our Sins (1 John 2:2)
Resurrection and Life (John 11:25)
Righteous One (Acts 7:52; 1 John 2:1)
Rock (1 Corinthians 10:4)
Root of David (Revelation 5:5; 22:16)
Savior (Luke 2:11)
Son of God (Luke 1:35; John 1:49)
Son of Man (John 5:27; Daniel 7:13-14; Mark 14:63)
Son of the Most High (Luke 1:32)
Source of Eternal Salvation (Hebrews 5:9)
True God (1 John 5:20)
True Light (John 1:9)
True Vine (John 15:1)
Way, Truth, Life (John 14:6)
Wisdom from God (1 Corinthians 1:30)
Wonderful Counselor (Isaiah 9:6)
Word of God (Revelation 19:12-13)
Word of Life (1 John 1:1)

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.