I was meditating this morning on the various names of our Lord and their meanings. The obvious ones are linked to Jehovah: Jira, Nisi, Rapha, and the ones that describe Him: Elohim, Adonai, and Emmanuel.
Then I started thinking about how each of these names reflect His relationship with me. They demonstrate a character trait of His that I have witnessed in my life. When I’ve been healed, He imprinted new life in my body. When He protected me, He put a shield between me and the enemy. And when He triumphed over the enemy, He raised a banner similar to when kings fought and won battles. He is mighty, all knowing and all powerful – strong enough to open a door that no one can shut.
“‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.'” (1)
We know Jesus created everything by speaking the Word. “Through Him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” (2)
That’s quite a statement. Everything in creation bears His mark or imprint. We see it in the design, intricacy, and beauty all around us.
Technically, the imprint is invisible, but we see it revealed in our fingerprints and our DNA. The Bible says we are created in His image. No one knows exactly what this means, but it is specific. The Lord made every person born into this world bear His image.
You can’t remove His image, but you can dishonor it. That should make every one of us pause when we realize that if we love each other and His creation, we love Him. But when we harm or destroy them, we hurt Him.
We all hold certain talents and intelligence which He wants us to use for His good and His glory. He put those characteristics in us so He might receive glory from them and so the world would come to know Him.
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (3)
I like to think of this as His fingerprint placed on us, claiming us as His own. We are all created with this. When we are saved, a little bit of His glory comes to live within us – the Holy Spirit. It’s a permanent imprint of Him on our lives. That Spiritual imprint means now we belong to Him as family.
“The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”
Zephaniah 3:17 NKJV
- Revelation 3:8 ESV
- John 1:3 NIV
- Ephesians 2:10 NIV
