As an attendee or member at Pineland, one of the features of our church life that you should have gathered, is that each week we have a different prayer focus as a church. Typically, every Week we send out a prayer list with different items that rotate through the year on our newsletter, these topics then form the content of much of our pastoral prayer and the content of our bi-weekly Sunday evening prayer meeting.

One of the perennial dangers of prayer times in churches is the habit of immediately presenting our requests to God (and even then our requests can so easily be so focused on our own physical needs)  without first considering the nature of the God to whom we pray. With that in mind, over the summer I thought it would be helpful for us to pray through God's attributes, focusing on a different one each week. This practice allows us to contemplate God's character and practise richer adoration and worship, before we come to bringing our requests to God.

In Scripture, a name is more than a simple identifier; it tells us something about a person. You can see this type of thing occur in Scripture when a biblical character is renamed or given a nickname. For instance, the name Abram means “exalted father,” while his new name, Abraham, means “father of a multitude.” God changed Abram’s name to Abraham to signify His promise that Abraham would become the father of a great multitude. Similarly, Jesus nicknamed Simon “Peter,” meaning “rock,” to signify that Peter would be the foundation upon which the church would be built.

This understanding of names highlighting character is especially significant when considering the names of God. In the Bible, God reveals Himself through many names, each designed to emphasize a specific aspect of His character. By focusing on and praying through these names, we can better concentrate on the nature of the God to whom we are praying. key points, as well as a weekly article that delves deeper into the divine name being considered.

Scripture opens with the words, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). The term "God" in this verse translates the Hebrew word Elohim, which can refer to the true God, false gods, human judges, and even angels. It is a general term, however when used of the true God, it underscores His strength, sovereignty, and supremacy.

"Elohim" can be translated as "gods," but the context clarifies its meaning. Biblical monotheism, along with the frequent pairing of Elohim with a singular verb, indicates that Scripture acknowledges only one God, even when employing a plural name for Him.

Why, then, do the biblical authors use Elohim, a plural noun, to refer to God? The plural form Elohim reflects the Lord’s multifaceted character and attributes, describing the richness and depth of His being. This plural of intensity emphasizes His transcendence and the diversity of His creation. As a plural of majesty, Elohim highlights God's singularity and oneness. Everything attributed to deity is fully embodied in Him. He is the “Most High God” because the essence of being itself ultimately finds expression in Him. The orderly cosmos He created reveals the order inherent in Him.

For instance, the name Elohim is used consistently throughout Genesis 1. In the account of the seven-day creation (Genesis 1:1–2:3), Elohim appears 35 times, with no other term for God used in the passage. Moses underscores the strength and pre-eminence of the creator God, who exists above and distinct from His creation. Elohim highlights the sovereign creator, separate from His creation, emphasizing God's transcendence—He is above all and not part of the created order. This choice of word by Moses serves to stress God's sovereign transcendence.

Scholars have noted that Elohim’s Trinitarian existence most fully embodies this principle. Within God's single essence, three distinct persons exist harmoniously. The universe, with its complexity and harmony, reflects His unity and complexity to His glory. Although Moses may not have explicitly had the doctrine of the Trinity in mind when he wrote Genesis, the use of Elohim is not inconsistent with this doctrine. The name Elohim was not chosen randomly; it hints at God's unity and complexity.

The doctrine of the Trinity isn't just an abstract theological idea; it provides insight into why reality is structured the way it is. Human beings are diverse, with different genders, ethnicities, cultures, and abilities, yet unified as a single human race, reflecting the image of a God who embodies both complexity and unity. We perceive order and purpose in a varied creation because it was fashioned by a Lord who is structured and multifaceted.