Many people argue about God’s name… but very few truly know Him.
There are moments in life when we want to address God correctly… with respect, with truth, without making a mistake. And the question comes up:
Is His name God? Jehovah? Yahweh? Lord? Father?
Am I using the right name?
And this is where we need to slow down… and go back to the beginning.
In the Bible, the closest name God reveals about Himself in the Old Testament is YHWH. This name appears when God reveals Himself to Moses in the burning bush. When Moses asks, “What is Your name?”, God responds with something powerful:
“I AM WHO I AM.”
Here’s something important that many people don’t know: YHWH comes from ancient Hebrew. At that time, Hebrew was written using only consonants, without vowels. That’s why we see those four letters: Y-H-W-H. This is known as the Tetragrammaton (which means “four letters”).
This name is connected to the Hebrew verb “hayah”, which means “to be” or “to exist.” So when God says “I AM WHO I AM,” He is revealing that He is eternal, self-sufficient, dependent on no one… He simply IS.
And there’s a detail that many people have found deeply meaningful, even though it’s not a direct teaching of the Bible. Some have noticed that when you try to pronounce YHWH softly, it sounds similar to breathing… like a gentle inhale and exhale.
It’s not a rule or a doctrine… but it’s a beautiful thought:
that even in something as basic as breathing, we are completely dependent on Him.
Over time, out of reverence, the people of Israel stopped pronouncing that name. It was so sacred that they preferred to say “Adonai”, which means “Lord.”
Centuries later, when people tried to recover the pronunciation, forms like “Yahweh” emerged (a reconstruction closer to the original Hebrew), and “Jehovah,” which appeared much later by combining the consonants of YHWH with the vowels of “Adonai.” It’s not that one is right and the other is wrong… they are human attempts to pronounce a name that originally had no vowels.
Now, here’s where everything changes…
When we get to the New Testament, we don’t see Jesus teaching people to say “Yahweh” or “Jehovah.”
Jesus does something different… something closer.
He says:
“When you pray, say: Our Father…”
He didn’t say, “pronounce the sacred name perfectly.”
He said, “talk to Him like a Father.”
And that is the key.
God has many names in the Bible, and each one reveals something about His character:
- Elohim: the powerful Creator
- Adonai: the sovereign Lord
- Jehovah Jireh: the provider
- Jehovah Rapha: the healer
- Jehovah Shalom: the giver of peace
But none of those names carries more weight than the relationship He wants with you.
Because in the end… God is not looking for perfect pronunciation.
He is looking for a sincere heart.
Sometimes we think that if we don’t use the “correct” name, we are failing…
but the Bible never teaches that as a requirement to be heard.
In fact, there is something that makes it very clear.
Scripture says that God looks at the heart.
And it also says that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved… not the one who pronounces it perfectly, but the one who truly calls on Him.
So… how should we call Him?
You can call Him God.
You can call Him Lord.
You can say Jehovah, Father, King…
But the most important thing is that you call Him with faith.
That when you speak to Him, it’s not a formula… but a relationship.
Because there are people who say the “correct” name… but live far from Him.
And there are others who barely know how to call Him… but love Him with all their heart.
And God listens to them.
Let me leave you with this reflection…
Maybe today you don’t need to learn a new name…
maybe you need to draw near again.
Not with complicated words…
but with something simpler, more real…
like a child speaking to his Father.
And if it’s been a while since you’ve talked to Him, don’t worry about how to start…
just start.
Let me invite you to join me in this prayer…
Lord, today I come to You just as I am.
Sometimes I’ve overcomplicated things trying to understand everything, even how to call You… but today I understand that what You want is my heart.
Teach me to come close to You with sincerity, with faith, with love.
I want to know You more, not just by name, but by experience.
Be my Father, my guide, my refuge…
and help me live each day closer to You.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
At Somos Cristianos, we connect hearts with Christ.
