When you introduce yourself to someone, what name do you use? Does it depend on your audience? If you want to impress someone, do you throw a title before (or after) your name?
If you’re introducing yourself to a child, you might use a “Mr.” or “Ms.” Or if you want to put someone at ease, you might introduce yourself with a nickname—“My friends call me Chipper.”
We often use introductions as opportunities to tell people about ourselves. Within a fraction of a second, we decide what we want a person to know about us, and we convey some of that information through our introduction.
Imagine God extending His hand to you in introduction. “Hello,” He says, “My name is Elohim.” Essentially, that’s what He does in the Bible: “In the beginning, Elohim created the heavens and the earth.”
The Bible includes more than one hundred names for God, yet this is the one He starts with: Elohim—supreme God, strong One. Say it aloud; the name even sounds mighty.
Elohim is used 2,570 times in Scripture. Over and over, God’s Word reminds us of God’s strength, His might. And the more we seek God, the more we come to personally know and experience His power.
Sometimes we face obstacles that seem huge. Sometimes we find ourselves staring at a wall too tall to see over, too thick to knock down.
It is then we must remember to call out to Elohim. We are not designed to live this life using our own strength; we are designed to need His.
When we are scared, we have Elohim. When we are suffering, we have Elohim. When we are overwhelmed, anxious, or exhausted, we have Elohim.
God has made Himself and His supernatural power available to us. All we have to do is take His hand.
What struggles in your life reveal your inadequate strength? In what areas do you need the life-sustaining power that can only come from Elohim?
