Child of God, Delight in Him

Connections:
Names, Maps, Colors, Images

You just won tickets for your dream trip on one condition: you can travel toward but not reach your destination. Excited? Disappointed? Would you still pack your suitcase and leave, or would you stay home? Would you start out but then eventually turn back? Exploring God’s names is like winning an awesome trip and knowing that the destination is beyond reach. No pilgrim has ever hoisted a flag on the summit of God’s being and His names, for the world itself can’t contain all the books about Him. He is life and the giver of life. How could we ever bind into a book or enclose into a building the very one who declared, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than yours and my thoughts than your thoughts”? Dr. Herbert Lockyer emphasizes that the infinite astounds our finite minds. So what compels us to inch upwards to unreachable heights, and how could this workbook accompany you?
Child of God, Delight in Him doesn’t offer in-depth, theological studies of God’s names and attributes. There is no attempt to separate the names of the Old and New Testaments or to group the names under God, Son, and Holy Spirit. Many authors have already explored the depths and symbolism of His names in Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic. British scholar and preacher James Large wrote his classic Titles and Symbols of Christ in 1880 for the poor and for families with young children. His searching meditations have been revised and reprinted several times. More recent authors like Hebert Lockyer, Elmer Town, and Ann Spangler integrate ancient biblical customs, language, and meanings with practical applications for the challenges of modern cultures. Systematic theology authors like Millard J. Erickson, Wayne Grudem, and Robert D. Bell have been my constant companions through all these years.
Child of God, Delight in Him does open new pathways by offering
1. a dynamic process of associative clustering and color coding to explore the Bible for God’s names;
2. creative connections of God’s names, attributes, descriptions, images, metaphors, prototypes, and anthropomorphisms;
3. practical applications of God’s names for personal growth in prayer, meditation, memorization, Bible study, and worship;
4. integration between knowledge and personal relationships (head and heart);
5. encouragement to trust God when He seems distant and silent;
6. mental stability in the face of suffering or emotional distress;
7. personal incentive to create more maps, write meditations/prayers, and renew meaningful worship.

Provisions for the Journey
Metaphorically speaking, you will find the following provisions for the trip: walking stick (stability); trekking shoes (life application); compass (reference points); seeds (progress); backpack (tools); traveler’s journal (connection); and serendipities (delights).
Walking Stick (Stability)
The walking stick is an alphabetical list of creative clusters that includes common denominators. Think of a specific need or concern in this moment of your life and then select a title or a common denominator of names that seems to resonate. Take the time to become familiar with your chosen map and decide if those names and seeds can help you grow in your relationships with God and others. If not, return to the alphabetical list and choose a different map. You will soon discover that the titles of the maps and their common denominators are subjective. You could eventually give your own titles that reflect your spiritual experience. As you pray and meditate on God’s names in respect to your needs and concerns, you will regain stability in your daily walk. You can return to the alphabetical list after you finish a map or whenever you want to explore new territory.
Trekking Shoes (Life Application)

So how do you get God’s names to flow from mind to heart and into daily living? One way is to put on sturdy trekking shoes and walk persistently over the rough terrain of doubts and questions. John Piper emphasizes that it takes profound questions and ceaseless searching for the answers to find the true God and understand His truth. Trekking shoes must be worn with the same respectful and submissive attitude as that found in the Book of Job and in the Psalms. The search for hidden treasure along the way leads to the fear (awe, worship) of the Lord.
Compass (Reference Points)

Scripture is the only compass to keep us traveling in the right direction.

Ø “Describe His Names” and “Love and Live His Names” are two Scripture indexes that clarify the underlying scriptural motivation for knowing and delighting in God’s names.

Ø “Seek and Delight in Him” offers a concise Scripture index with over eight hundred of God’s names, attributes, descriptions, images, and prototypes.

Ø Your own personal Bible is the most essential reference point. If you can develop the habit of consulting several translations of the Bible for God’s names, your search will be enriched.

Seeds (Progress)
You might decide to start your journey by consulting the “Alphabetical List of Seeds to Plant.” The seeds help identify the values that are important to you. Values are principles (ethics, morals) that a person cherishes immeasurably and then publically commits himself to believe, think, feel, and act consistently. Values give a purpose to live and a reason to die, if necessary. To grow from seed, to plant, and to mature into fruit takes time and God’s loving care. Those around you should see your progress, not your perfection.
Backpack (Tools)

Drs. Tom and Beverly Rodgers teach the following concept: “Research shows that repeatedly thinking of God as a positive, loving figure can change the brain’s functioning…