God has a name (it isn’t God). And there’s tremendous value in meditating on the names Scripture gives Him, because how we think about God shapes our destiny.
If you don’t believe God exists, the most sensible path forward is to remove Him from your decisions and squeeze whatever joy you can out of a short life. If you believe in God but don’t think He’s personal or active, you’ll probably aim at being a good person and assume that’s enough — no need for forgiveness, no need to die to self, no need to come under the authority of His Word.
How we think about God shapes how we live.
So how should we think about God? A really good answer is: by His names.
Scripture gives us over 100 names and titles for God, each revealing a new depth of His nature. Even if we explored every one, it would still be a drop in the ocean. Proverbs 25:2 says, “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.” There is mystery in God. But He invites us into the lifelong pursuit of knowing Him, and that’s part of what makes eternity glorious — there’s always more to discover.
I want to focus on just one of those names: Adonai.
Adonai is a Hebrew word used about 370 times in the Old Testament to refer to God. It’s translated into English as “Lord.” When you see “LORD” in all caps in your Bible, that’s Yahweh, God’s personal name. When you see “Lord” with only the first letter capitalized, that’s likely Adonai.
Adonai means “Lord” or “Master.” It conveys God’s supreme authority. Everything and everyone answers to Him — kings, nations, nature, sickness, sin, death. Deuteronomy 10:17 tells us, “For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome.”
Every decision is subject to His will. Every spiritual power is under His reign. Every creature requires His breath. There is nothing outside His authority.
The first time we meet the name Adonai is in Genesis 15, and the context is fascinating. Abraham is wrestling with God’s promises. God had said He would make Abraham into a great nation, but Abraham had no children, and he was 75 years old. Abraham says, “Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless?” (Genesis 15:2).
He’s basically saying, “God, you keep telling me things, but what you’re saying about my future and what I’m seeing in my present couldn’t be more different.” And in that exact tension, Abraham calls God Adonai.
I think that’s so important.
Because when we hold the truth that God is the reigning King of the universe up against what we actually see in our lives, there can be real dissonance. If God is truly Adonai, why is my life so difficult? Why did they leave? Why am I still waiting? Why did my marriage fall apart? Why does it feel like I’m stuck?
When Abraham declares God as Adonai right in the middle of his unanswered prayers, he shows us something powerful: you can worship God and wrestle with God at the same time.
When your world is upside down, you can still say, “God, I trust you.”
Faith isn’t the absence of fear, doubt, or disappointment. Faith is choosing to trust God in spite of all that. If you’re carrying questions, fears, or unmet promises today, will you have the faith of Abraham and declare that God is Lord over them anyway?
The concept of Adonai carries straight into the New Testament, where the Greek word kyrios takes its place. And here’s the wild thing: one Person in the New Testament is called “Lord” over 650 times. Jesus.
Adonai finds its complete realization in Jesus Christ.
The angel announcing Jesus’ birth said, “Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord” (Luke 2:11). The earliest, most basic confession of the church was three words: Jesus is Lord. Romans 10:9 says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
That confession was dangerous. In the first-century Roman world, Caesar was top of the food chain, and the titles attributed to him included “Saviour,” “Son of God,” and “Lord.” Imperial propaganda said Caesar brought peace and salvation.
So when early Christians said, “Jesus is Lord,” they were simultaneously saying, “Caesar is not.” That was treason. It could cost you your livelihood, your social standing, even your life.
We don’t have a Caesar today, but make no mistake, there’s a struggle for lordship in your life too. Everyone is mastered by something. The question is, who or what is mastering you?
Maybe it’s the lord of success, money, recognition, and accolades. You’re driven but exhausted, because if success is your lord, you can’t rest; you still have to prove your worth. Maybe it’s the lord of pleasure — comfort above all. If something’s hard, you avoid it. You sacrifice depth for distraction. Maybe it’s control — you live like everything depends on you, micromanaging, panicking when life doesn’t go to plan. Maybe it’s addiction — a substance, a screen, a secret that started small and now runs your life.
Or maybe you’re thinking, “That’s not me. I’m not mastered by anything. I do what I want.” Exactly. That’s the problem. You’ve set yourself up as lord, and you’re a servant to your own cravings, whims, and emotions. That’s not freedom. It’s self-imposed slavery.
Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin” (John 8:34). Sin isn’t first and foremost something you do — it’s a power that rules over you. The only way to break that power is complete surrender to a new Lord with authority over sin.
And only one Lord has that power. After His resurrection, Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18). All authority. Over every demon and doubt. Over kings and countries. Over your past, present, and future. Over your sin.
There isn’t one inch of creation over which Jesus does not already rule.
Here’s the thing about the lordship of Jesus: it’s not a matter of if you will recognize it. It’s a matter of when.
Philippians 2:9–11 says, “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Every knee. Every tongue. Not just the faithful. Not just Christians. Everyone. One day, there will be no debate and no doubt. The only question is whether you will surrender in faith today, or in regret when it’s too late.
Revelation 19 gives us a glimpse of that day. John sees heaven open and Jesus riding out on a white horse. “He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. … On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” (Revelation 19:13, 16).
Right now, there’s a window of mercy. No matter your past or your decisions, you can be forgiven, folded into God’s family, and given the life and joy that come with knowing Jesus. But that window won’t be open forever. The Bible says, “Today is the day of salvation.”
So the piercing question is this: Who or what is mastering you?
Is Jesus Lord of your career, your sexuality, your habits, your calendar, your money, your dreams? If yes — praise God. You’re living in step with the deepest reality in the universe.
If not, maybe you’ve called Him Saviour but never really Lord. Jesus said, “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46). Lordship means obedience. What’s the one thing He’s asking you to surrender today?
Or maybe all of this is brand new, and you’re just tired of being ruled by something that’s destroying you. Here’s the invitation: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me” (Revelation 3:20).
Open the door. Let Jesus be Adonai. Jesus is Lord.