A few months ago, when my prayer closet time had gotten a little dry and formulaic, I believe the Lord gave me a new project. It was a combination of learning, meditating, and praying. It brought life back into my prayers and real fire to my praise. Pretty soon, I realized that He wanted me to publish my work so that others could do it too. It’s all about praying the names of God. It’s a great way to learn more about the God we serve and make room for more genuine, heartfelt worship.
My Experience Started with a Picture
I started with a name that I already knew: Jehovah Jireh. The Lord provides everything we need, but not just the material things. He also provided a lamb for Abraham to sacrifice instead of his son, Isaac. Of course, that lamb was just a symbol of Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. I went to ChatGPT and described the picture that I wanted. It was a cornucopia with a lamb, the name (Jehovah Jireh), and the definition (The Lord Will Provide).
I was hoping to convey that God provides everything we need bountifully, both physically and spiritually.
It took a few times until the AI program got my vision. Soon, though, I had a new picture to take into my prayer closet. I pulled up YouTube on my phone and typed in the name “Jehovah Jireh.” I prayed to see which of the many choices God wanted me to click on. As I listened to the songs and sermons, I colored the picture and thought about how amazing and wonderful God is and how much He does for me.
When I was done with the picture, I prayed, thanking God (Jehovah Jireh by name) for everything He has provided. The next day, I picked a new name of God. Each time I created a new picture, I would learn, color, meditate, and then pray in thanksgiving and praise. Pretty soon, I had quite a stack of papers. I would flip through them, speaking His names in prayer and remembering what I had learned about God’s great majesty, strength, compassion, and love for His creation (and for me!). Slowly, my eyes really started to open about who He is and who I am to Him. I felt closer to Him and really FELT the words of praise I was speaking to Him.
I Felt Led to Publish
After about 10-15 names, the Lord confirmed that this was a project that He meant for me to share with others. I kept adding and researching until I came up with just the number I felt He wanted. There are 31 names of God (one for each day of a long month). As I went along, I found the pronunciations and original Bible references for each one. I also wrote little descriptions and added some lines for journaling in case people wanted to take notes on the songs and sermons. I published the book here, but I also made all the pictures and information available for free here. It’s not about the money but about sharing the blessing of God with others.
If you have your own printer, you can start today!
How to Pray the Names of God
- Access pictures (either through downloading free pictures on this page or by ordering the coloring book journal on Amazon).
- Start with a name that is special to you, or start alphabetically with Abba Father.
- Pull up songs and sermons about the name and pray to see which ones the Lord would have you click on.
- As you color the picture and listen to songs and sermons, meditate on what you are hearing. Think about how the name applies to you specifically and how amazing and awesome He is as your God.
- When you’re done with the picture, pray the name back to God with thanksgiving and praise, specifically mentioning the details that you just learned.
- Repeat again and again until you have done all 31. As you pray the names, flip through the pictures to remind yourself of His greatness and all the reasons you have to thank and praise Him.
Bring Life to Your Prayer Closet
If your prayer closet time has become more like a business appointment than a love fest, this project might be just what you need. Some of the names might be familiar, but some you might not have heard about yet. As for me, the more I learned about God through research, meditation, and prayer, the more heartfelt my worship became. It was an amazing experience and one that I hope others will enjoy too. Try one today!
Two Ways to Get Started:
- Go to the page Free Names of God Coloring Sheets. Browse names, check descriptions, pronunciations, Bible verses, and picture previews.
Hit “Download” to print for FREE! Print one or all.
2. Buy the coloring book journal Pray the Names of God: A Coloring Book Journal for Reflection and Worship.
This keeps all your pictures in one place and is great for gift giving. See below for more images
Angela, that was quite interesting. Amazon tells me that it is not available in my area, so I quite happily spent the last hour downloading the pages into a folder so that at a later date I can happily download the pictures & include it in my daily quiet times. I also downloaded it to facebook so that others can also read about it. I am rarely on f/b myself but am always happy to pass along links I find that I think that others should also hear.
Actually, I must make some time to go onto f/b as it is the only way I see photos of my son’s two children & what they are upto. Though having said that he rang me the other week & asked me out for coffee as he had a morning free, so we spend nearly a couple of hours catching up & for the first time ever he was open about his kids & so I have found out that both of them have autism issues. So now I have more knowledge of how to pray for them.
I do have a book on the Names of God, as well as the Names of Christ which I should dig out & read again. I have a wall unit that was given to me & I was thinking recently that maybe I should dig out my books & put them into it but then my eyesight is so bad that I can’t read without a magnifying glass which isn’t a great answer. A lot of times I have to copy & paste my emails to notebook where I have it set to large print so that I can read them more comfortably.
I am on the list for cataract surgery which could take upto 12 months before my turn comes up, then pray that it is convenient for one of the family to take time off to take me & bring me home again. I went past the hospital recently & was shocked at how HUGE it now is & my brother told me he got lost in it taking his ex there to have a colonoscopy a couple of months ago. I am more worried about the walking in & out part as I struggle with walking these days. Anyway the Lord is in control so I shan’t concern myself until the time comes & pray that He gives me the strength & the courage actually…. I am laughing!!
So I leave you with the words of Ephesians 3: 20.21 Blessings Louise B.
I’m glad you were able to get the pictures. Sorry to hear about your eyesight. That would be frustrating, for sure. I know the Lord has the situation well in hand. He is definitely in the business of strength and courage. Take care, Sis!