God is All This and More

Sometimes the best material in the life of any blog consists in the many early posts when the project was commencing.  Like me, my friend David Fisher had (and still has) a blog Pilgrim Scribblings, and like me he had reached the thousand-post mark and wanted to start a secondary project that would reach deep into peoples’ lives.  Although he no longer posts at The Barnabas Blog, I went looking around some of the first items there today, and found this list of the many names and attributes of God and names and attributes of Christ.  Lists like this are totally superficial until you meditate on them, so take several minutes to work your way slowly through.

He is:

Abba Father………….when we need fathering.
Acceptance……….when we feel unwanted.
Adequacy……………………for our inadequacy.
All-sufficient……………in our hardest situations.
Amen……………when we need Him to be the last Word.
Answer…………………..for our uncertainty and questions.
Author of faith……………..for our unbelief or doubt.
Bread of life………………….for our spiritual hunger.
Bridegroom……when we need companionship and cherishing.
Broken and spilled out for us……….when we’ve been used.
Burden bearer……………….when we are heavy laden.
Before all things……………..when we’re surprised.
Cleansing………….for our defilement and shame.
Closer than a brother…………when we are lonely.
Comforter who wipes away tears……..in our griefs and sorrows.
Defender……………when we are under attack.
Deliverer, liberty………………for our bondage or captivity.
Door………………..when it looks like there’s no way out.
Sure foundation…………when we’re shaking and insecure.
Faithful friend…………….when friends fail us.
Fullness…………………when we’re empty.
God of details………………when we’re frustrated.
God of love……………..when we feel unloved and need a hug.
God who is there………………when we feel alone or abandoned.
Guide and way………………when we’re confused and need direction.
Grace……………….when we’re too hard on ourselves or others.
Healer…………for woundedness, rejection, physical sickness.
Hope……….when we are discouraged and want to quit.
Humility…………………for our pride.
Joy…………………………when we are depressed.
Keeper and Protector…………..when we are vulnerable.
Lifter of our head………….when we feel oppressed.
Long-suffering, slow to anger……..when we have blown it again.
Mercy……………………….for criticism and unkindness.
Mighty God, our strength…………..for our weakness or temptation.
Never-failing, the same……………when we are fickle and faithless.
Overcoming victory……………….for defeat and depression.
Prince of Peace……….when we are stressed, worried, and confused.
Provider………………………….for every financial need.
Quieter of the storm……………for struggles without and within.
Reconciliation………………..for breaches in relationships.
Rest……………………when we’re tired and can’t go on.
Restorer of our soul…………when we’re bruised an beaten down.
Reviver, living water………..when we are depleted, barren, thirsty.
Satisfaction………………….when we’ve tried everything.
Song, praise……………….when we’re joyless and heavy of heart.
Spirit of the Lord………………when we need to be set free.
Strong……………………….when we’re weak.
Trinity, unity…………………for mending separation.
Truth…………………in spite of what the world says.
True riches…………….when we covet the world’s wealth.
Vindicator……………….when we have been wronged.
Way-maker……………when a solution seems impossible.
Wisdom……………………….for our hard choices.

* The “I AM” list is taken from Prayer Portions Sampler for the Family by Sylvia Gunter .

“He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?” – Romans 8:32 (ESV)