Praying the Names and Attributes of God: Synergy with the Trinity in Prayer a Collaboration with Extraordinary Outcomes

INTRODUCTION

As I read the Bible I am always captivated by the names and attributes of God. I am often drawn to the origin and application of that Name, and in the context of what is being relayed in the Scriptures. For example, Gideon must have been anxious about his assignment and needed peace, so he encountered the God of peace (see Judges 6:24; NJKV). Abraham was about to offer his only son Isaac as a burnt offering when Isaac asked his father where the lamb was for the sacrifice. Abraham responded, "the Lord will provide; (³Genesis 22:14, NKJV)." Here the Lord did not just provide Abraham a lamb for the immediate sacrifice, but He also gave us a prophesy of the Sacrificial Lamb, Jesus Christ, who would later provide for our redemption (see Genesis 22, NKJV). And there is David, a humble shepherd, who later became a king, who repeatedly spoke of the Great Shepherd in the Psalms.

As I continue to walk with God, I have learned the importance and the power of using Scripture to pray. Through experience with the Holy Spirit in prayer or intercession, the Holy Spirit has led me to use the names and attributes of God as they pertain to the issue I am praying for. This normally leads to an easy transition in the spheres of prayer and much faster breakthroughs as well. I believe this happens because God never changes in His character; He is the One Who Was, Is, and Is to Come. God cannot recant what He has already said. God stands by His word and watches over it to perform it. God’s Word is final and established (see Revelation 1:8, Malachi 3:6, Jeremiah1:12, Isaiah 40:8, Isaiah 55:10-11 and ⁴Matthew 24:35 all in NKJV).

I believe that by faith, when we use the Word of God, when we mention His names and attributes in prayer, praise, or petitions - He responds, and meets us where we are. He responds because we have come into agreement with Him, His nature, and His word; we have aligned ourselves with Him and His purposes concerning us. We are engaging His authority and power with the authority and power He has given us. Coming into agreement brings us into synergy with God. Synergy is the combined power of a group of things when they are working together that is greater than the total power achieved by each working separately(⁵dictionary.cambridge.org). Another definition defines ⁶synergy as the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects. The Synergy of praying the name and attributes of God brings the reality of these attributes to our natural world and to the issues we are praying for.

While in a season of seeking God through prayer, I sensed that I should use the names and attributes of God as I prayed. I had mostly used them in worship and in prayers of petition. Ten months prior to this I had started studying the names of God as stated in the book of Revelation; but as I was praying, I recalled that I had done the same thing the previous year. Repeated inclinations often mean pay attention, and act on what the Holy Spirit is saying. So, I have written this book from an experiential perspective. As I am learning the meanings of the names of God, I am actively applying them in prayer. Jeremiah’s prayer in the next chapter is an example of coming into agreement with God. May your prayer life be enhanced as you come into synergy with God.

In this book, each of God’s names and attributes has a short excerpt of Scripture application that you can use and practically apply in prayer, and later use as a declaration for the issue you are praying for. God’s names and attributes address every area of life. That is why God is the Great I AM. He is the all-inclusive answer to your specific areas of need, needs that are addressed in this book. May God respond with swift answers to your prayers as you acknowledge His majesty.

The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them (Psalm 145:18-19; NKJV).

Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear (⁷Isaiah 59:1; NIV).

JEREMIAH’S

PRAYER-SYNERGY WITH GOD

CHAPTER 1

Prayer is a dialogue between the person praying and God. Prayer is a two-way communication that requires waiting to receive God’s response when we pray. The above Scriptures are a perfect example of dialogue between God and the Prophet Jeremiah. We, too, should engage with God by faith at this level knowing that God listens and likes to respond to our requests.

Jeremiah 32: 16- 22-Now when I had delivered the purchase deed to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord, saying: Alas, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! There is nothing too hard or too wonderful for You- You Who show loving-kindness to thousands but recompense the iniquity of the fathers into the bosoms of their children after them. The great, the mighty God; the Lord of hosts is His name—Great are You in counsel and mighty in deeds, whose eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men, to reward or repay each one according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings. Who wrought signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, and even to this day continues to do so, both in Israel and among other men, and made for Yourself a name, as at this day? And You brought forth Your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, with a strong hand and outstretched arm and with great terror; and You gave them this land which You swore to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey (AMPC).

Jeremiah 32: 26-27- Then came the word of the Lord to Jeremiah, saying, Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is there anything too hard for Me? (AMPC).

Scripture Application

Throughout the Bible, God was often addressed by His attributes and abilities; this is evident in both the Old and New Testaments. I am often encouraged by the descriptive attributes of God in the epistles. Such as: Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us (Ephesians 3:20; NIV); To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all time, and now, and for all eternity. Amen (Jude 1:24-25; NIV); Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen (1 Timothy 1:17; KJV); and the list goes on! These descriptions are affirmations and guarantees of our God, that He is who He is said to be, and His deliverables are as exact as His attributes are! Hence Jeremiah’s prayer.

Jeremiah’s prayer listed above simply highlights God’s attributes-declaring God’s power and testimonies of His previous works. God in response to Jeremiah’s declarations, acknowledges and asserts His attributes, by saying in Jeremiah 32:27: "Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is there anything too hard for Me?" (see Jeremiah 32:27; NKJV). God then proceeds with outlining how He will restore Israel based on His ability as the God of all possibilities, through the covenant He has with Israel.

Jeremiah’s prayer is not only a great example, but a testimony of God standing by His Word, and responding to our prayers. We also know that we serve an unchanging God. According to Numbers 23:19, God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it (⁸ESV). If God can respond to prayers that acknowledged His power and abilities with Jeremiah, He will respond to our prayers as well. This is the power of praying the attributes of God!

GOD MY FATHER

CHAPTER 2

Luke 11:2- So He said to them, "When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven (NKJV).

Scripture Application

As believers we pray directly to God. Jesus Christ reconciled us to direct communication and relationship with God our Creator and Father. Jesus, in Luke 11:2, instructed us to pray to God the Father. While He was on earth Jesus frequently secluded himself to pray. Scripture also tells us that Jesus only did what He saw His Father doing. "So Jesus said to them, truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel (John 5:19-20, ESV).

When we accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we became sons and daughters of God. We can now relate to God as our creator and Father. There is uniqueness to God as Father, he is ever loving, he does not rebuke us to condemn us, but instead chastens us to make us better. God does not recall our sins; he forgets them as soon as we repent. God does not deal with us according to our level of righteousness or sins, he is fair in his dealings with us. God shows no partiality, he loves all mankind equally. Psalm 103 is a great reminder of God’s goodness as a Father. Let me just highlight some verses here that express these attributes: "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity,who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him" (Psalm 103:1-5; 8-14; ESV).

Depending on our upbringing in church, family, or culture, at times, we may relate to God the way we relate to our earthly fathers or persons of authority. However, God is different, we can relate to him knowing that His mercies and compassion towards us will never cease. If you grew up without a father, know that God is a Father to the fatherless. If you were abandoned, know that you are accepted of the Lord. God has no illegitimate or unwanted children. He is our creator and we are all His children. Confidently we can call Him Abba Father.

As the good Father, God has the best in mind for us. "You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So, if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much