Five Names of God That Will Change Your Prayer Life

Introduction

"When you have closed your door and you are alone with God, you will know who you are and whose name you are calling on." Pastor René Ouandji of the Église Évangélique Vie Nouvelle picks up a series he began a few weeks earlier: the names of God that can change our faith.

God reveals himself through his word, through circumstances, and also through his names. When you know who you are talking to, the mighty God, the faithful God, the God of peace, your prayer changes. Without that, the pastor warns, you risk speaking "words without faith."

After a reminder of the first five names, he presents five more names of God, each with a direct link to your prayer life: the Lord of peace, the Lord who heals, the Lord who is here, the Lord your shepherd, and the Lord of hosts.

Message Outline

1. Knowing Who You Are Talking To When You Pray

God revealed himself in his word so that you can have "a multiplied prayer life," to the point of seeing by faith the answer to what you ask, sometimes before you have even finished praying.
The pastor encourages young people to spend time in prayer: "Social media eats up your time and slowly kills you." This is not an accusation, he adds: before social media, other things were already taking that time. Young or not so young, we belong to Christ and no longer to this world.
The first thing to do on waking is to glorify God before anything else. Who is the most important person in your life? Jesus.
A reminder from the first part: Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides, and who provided his Son Jesus Christ on the cross; Elohim, the Creator God, strong and sovereign; Adonai, the Lord who reigns in the midst of praise; El Shaddai, God Almighty, for whom nothing is impossible; El Elyon, God Most High, whose goodness and faithfulness reach as high as the heavens.

2. Jehovah Shalom, the Lord of Peace

It is Gideon, one of the judges, who reveals this name. He lives under pressure from the Midianites and wonders why so many misfortunes are happening. God first asks him to bring an offering, and Gideon does it.
Men and women are afraid of everything: fear of tomorrow, of not making ends meet, of bosses, of exams, of the neighbor. Yet Jesus says not to fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul (Matthew 10:28).
"If you want fear and dread to leave your life, offer yourself to God." If you do not give yourself to him completely, you will be afraid of everything that happens to you.
Philippians 4:6-7 says the same thing: be anxious for nothing, make your requests known to God with prayer and petition with thanksgiving, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts in Christ Jesus.
Fear comes from the flesh and the emotions, not from the Spirit who lives in you. God's peace is neither rational nor explainable. Hugs from your parents, your brother or your sister are necessary, but true peace comes from God.
The Midianites had not disappeared. "The circumstances around us can stay exactly the same, yet we remain in great peace." At work too, facing difficult colleagues, the pastor calls us to stay in peace without fighting against people.

3. Jehovah Rapha, the Lord Who Heals

Exodus 15:26: if you diligently listen to the voice of the Lord and keep his statutes, he will put none of the diseases on you that he put on the Egyptians, "for I am Yahweh who heals you."
The pastor observes that even in the evangelical world, we have often lost the conviction that God can still heal. Yet God has not changed. "A God who does not heal is not the name of my God."
God can heal instantly. The woman who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years touches the edge of Jesus' garment and is healed at that very hour (Matthew 9:20-22).
God can also heal in stages. The blind man in Mark 8:22-26 first sees blurry after the first laying on of hands, then Jesus lays his hands on his eyes again and he sees everything clearly. "God has not forgotten you." Seeing blurry was already a miracle, but the miracle was not finished.
The pastor shares his own case: a displacement of his cervical vertebrae. The physiotherapist he saw near his workplace kept telling him, "Don't worry, it takes time." He went home discouraged, then understood that God was taking small steps. Five months later, everything was fine.
A healing that takes its time is not a sign of failure or of God's absence. A long illness that lasts for years "is not necessarily caused by sin." Do not give up until you are fully healed.

4. Jehovah Shammah, the Lord Is Here

Ezekiel 48:35: the wall of Jerusalem will measure eighteen thousand cubits around, and from that day the name of the city will be: Yahweh is there.
Israel had known deportations and invasions. It was a devastated people and a ruined land. Through Ezekiel, God promises that when he has rebuilt, people will say: the Lord is there.
Your life may have been devastated too, with consequences for your heart, your children, and those around you. From the moment you accepted the Lord, the Holy Spirit has lived in you. The great Creator, out of love and in his humility, comes to make his home in your heart.
In "dry" times of prayer, you may wonder, "Lord, are you there or not?" There is no doubt, says the pastor: since you accepted the Lord, he says to you, "I am here."
This changes your faith. When a brother or sister tells you they are suffering, you do not need to wait until the pastor is available: you can lay hands on them yourself. "It's not only for pastors." Jesus promised it: they will lay hands on the sick, and the sick will recover (Mark 16:18). The pastor also calls the church to get back into evangelism, because God is in us and he loves souls.
Jesus is also in the midst of his gathered people, wherever two or three are gathered in his name (Matthew 18:20). The pastor then pauses his message and invites the congregation to stand: "Don't ask him for anything. Simply worship him with all your heart."
When the Lord is in our midst, we should give ourselves "400 percent" in praise, worship and listening to the word. If you are sleepy, stand up, drink a little water, step outside for a moment and come back, because God is speaking.

5. Jehovah Roi, the Lord Is Your Shepherd

Jesus is the good shepherd. A shepherd's responsibility is to take care of his sheep. When you are struggling, you are not alone: someone is taking care of you.
You have only one shepherd. "The pastor is not your shepherd. Your husband is not your shepherd. Your wife is not your shepherdess." Just as you do not have two gods, you do not have two shepherds. And the sheep follows its shepherd.
When you pray to this God in your anxiety, to be fed or protected, you pray with faith, knowing that your shepherd will fulfill his responsibility. "People can fail, but Jesus is responsible."

6. Jehovah Sabaoth, the Lord of Hosts

Isaiah 1:24 speaks of the Lord, Yahweh of Armies, the Mighty One of Israel. Psalm 46 adds: nations rage, kingdoms are moved, he lifts his voice and the earth melts. Yahweh of Armies is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge.
We often picture a great army coming down to strike our enemies. The pastor was surprised to find something else: the heavenly army is made up of angels who serve God, and their first role is to worship. At the birth of Jesus, a multitude of the heavenly army praises God, saying, "Glory to God in the highest" (Luke 2:13-14).
This army also defends God's people. In the book of Daniel, an angel comes to rescue him. Unlike earthly armies, which often want to gain wealth or territory, God's army is not offensive: it defends when we are attacked.
In 2 Kings 6, much larger armies surround the prophet, and Elisha's servant panics. Elisha prays, "Yahweh, please open his eyes, that he may see." The servant then sees the mountain full of horses and chariots of fire around Elisha.
"The miracle that will happen in your prayer life is not because you will shout louder than your neighbor. It is because God will open your eyes so that you can see what you are praying for."
You can pray "Lord, heal me" without seeing the healing, or "deliver me from my enemies" without seeing God's army. When you pray, picture the miracle God is already doing and do not look at what is around you. Faith is assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1).
"You don't have to remember these Hebrew names, but what matters is to remember that he is the Lord of hosts and that he accomplishes what you cannot see."

7. A Call to Faith

The pastor ends with a call. If you need peace in your life right now, come and pray to the Lord of peace.
If you need healing, come and pray to the Lord who heals.
If you are lost, if you have many choices to make and do not know where to go, come and pray to the Lord your shepherd.
And facing what surrounds you, come and pray to the Lord of hosts: "Open your eyes and see God's miracle in your life."

Key Takeaways

Knowing the names of God means knowing who you are talking to when you close your bedroom door. Your prayer grows in faith.
God's peace does not depend on circumstances. It begins when you offer yourself completely to him.
God still heals, sometimes instantly, sometimes in stages. A healing that is slow in coming is not God abandoning you.
Since you accepted the Lord, he lives in you. You can pray for the sick and share the Gospel with that assurance.
Jesus is your only shepherd and he takes his responsibility. The Lord of hosts accomplishes what you cannot yet see.

Personal Reflection

When you pray alone in your room, do you know which name of God you are calling on for the situation you are going through?
What fear fills your heart right now, and what would it mean for you to offer yourself completely to God in the face of it?
Are you waiting for a healing that is slow in coming? What small steps has God already taken in your situation?
Is there a brother or sister around you who is suffering and for whom you could pray yourself this week?
In your prayer, do you look first at the enemy's army or at what God is accomplishing?

Verses Cited

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the name Jehovah Shalom mean?

Jehovah Shalom means the Lord of peace. It is Gideon who reveals this name while living in fear of the Midianites. For René Ouandji, fear and dread come from the flesh and the emotions. Whoever offers himself completely to God receives a peace that surpasses all understanding, even when circumstances stay the same.

Why doesn't God always heal instantly?

The preacher shows that God can heal on the spot, like the woman who had been bleeding, or in stages, like the blind man of Bethsaida. A healing that takes time is not a sign of failure or of God's absence, and a long illness is not necessarily the result of sin. He encourages us not to give up.

What does the name "the Lord of hosts" change in prayer?

The heavenly army worships God first, then defends God's people when they are attacked. Using the example of Elisha and his servant, René Ouandji explains that the miracle in prayer does not come from how loudly we shout, but from God opening our eyes to see what he is already accomplishing.