7 Words That Describe God- ‘O’:
 
Oak
Oasis
Obstacle
Ocean
Omega
Orchestra
Oxygen
 
You stand tall above me, a source of rest beside me. You invite me to climb in Your branches, and if wickedness is my aim, like Absalom I’ll hang. Such strength is found in You. You give me shade at the proper time. I wonder ‘neath Your presence, my Lord. You inspire me to create, to dream. What I make from my time with You stands strong. It is not weak. It will not break. I depend on You and am not forsaken. You are everywhere, and Your Spirit enables me to thrive where there is naught but ash. Yes indeed, You are like a Mighty Oak.  Isaiah 61:1-3
 
You are my Oasis amidst this dry and dusty land. There is no source of life outside of Your presence. I am protected within Your borders. Mirages mislead me into thinking sinking sand will save me. You draw me close while the windstorms rage. You invite and equip me to dig my roots deep so that when the wind blows, I will not be lost. By Your sovereignty, all other places that claim protection are doomed. Thank You for giving me nourishment beyond the dust.  Psalm 107:33-41
 
You are an Obstacle to everything within me that does not radiate You. All vanity, self-glorification, arrogance and pride, to name a few. All lust, greed, envy and anger, to name a few more. All things that are my own attempt to matter, that shout for attention and say, “Look at what I can do!” are blocked by Your love for me. You have more in store for me than what my hands can accomplish. It won’t be long before any and all trace of me is lost and forgotten. All things and everyone vanishes here sooner or later. This is the place of fading.  So like John the Baptist, may I become less and You more. You, the eternal and only One, who does not fade here. Block me from the foolish and errant ways. May I submit to You, my Obstacle, for the only way not to fade is in Your hands.  Genesis 50:20
 
The shore is strange, my Lord. It is odd to me. Everyone speaks the same way with common words, but I can’t understand it. They look and point at me and laugh, but I cannot share in their mirth. I do not understand the joke. I look to You out in the deep and I find peace. Your love for me overwhelms me in wave after wave. Your tide pulls at me and awakens my wonder. The hardened places of my heart soften under Your influence. In Your depths, I find my breath. I find life here with You that could not exist on land. Draw me deeper, my Lord, my Ocean.  Matthew 8:27
 
You hold all things in Your hands Mighty God. You are the Beginning and the End. You are the fulfillment of all things. When I think of the End, I see it as when the stars fall from the sky. When time ceases to be. I see a place beyond a cosmic pause, for to be frozen is still to be held as a continuous prisoner. You free us to the place beyond time and space, beyond the fade. Such crucibles for life are no longer needed. How does eternity begin, or how do we become fitted for the journey? We lose these temporal bodies to gain new ones, bodies that do not fade. You are the strength that does not tire, the light that does not dim. You are the Omega, the End, the Hope we are waiting for.  Revelation 1:8
 
Your whispers are an Orchestra of sound playing heavenly blessings over me. You are always in perfect tune with ne’er a sour note made. Were I to have such a chorus play for me and my actions as background music, it would ring out like a traffic jam. But even during my out-of-tune solo, You restore me like a glass of water in the desert. You, at times, guide me in sweet melodies and at others fierce overtones that invite me down better paths. My legs long to dance to Your overtures. For I know they are an introduction to more substantial things over me. Psalm 22:3
 
When I breathe You in, I do not cough. With You, there is no smokestack that chokes out hope. I can take in a fuller breath that expands more than my lungs, You expand my heart and my soul as well. With You, I can scale a wall. There is nothing that could prevent me from running after You and Your favor. With You, I can breathe past shame and regret. You enable me to outrun the deer. If I inhale even a portion of what You give to me, I am overwhelmed to the point of overflow. Your Oxygen runs through my veins giving light and life to my dreams.  Psalm 18:29

7 Words that describe God- ’N’:
 
Name
Narrow
Near
Nest
Net
News
North Star
 
Your Name is unlike any other, my Lord. By Your Name, we pray in power. By Your Name, kings and kingdoms crumble. By Your Name, this world bows to You. By Your Name, the weak are made strong. By Your Name, the sick are made well. By Your Name, the blind can see. By Your Name, tormenting spirits are cast out. By Your Name, wounds are made whole again. By Your Name, my life has purpose. By Your Name, we are ushered into a place not made by human hands. By Your Name, all is fulfilled and completed. By Your Name, everlasting peace is found and eternal joy is ours. By Your Name, sin finds its end.  Philippians 2:9-11
 
You warned us to not choose the wide and easy path. Your words say that many can find it and that it is easy to travel. We love ‘easy’ and shun what is difficult. People have even turned against You and equated ‘ease’ with love. But You revealed a mystery in that with You, the ‘narrow’ and ‘hard’ way is the better one. You hold all the secrets, Lord, and You guide us on better ways we would not pick for ourselves, the narrow gate and the narrow path.  Matthew 7:13-14
 
You are unbelievably close to me, my Lord. There is no ‘personal space’ with You and sometimes that scares me. You are not safe. You give and You take away without asking. You direct me in ways I would not choose. You never tolerate my selfishness and it hurts when I won’t let go. You move me when I want to be still. You change things when I want them to be the same. You make me say “Goodbye,” when I want to stay. After all the moving, changing, and farewells, I look back and see Your pruning, whittling and refining. You are God eternal, and though I am like grass- here today/gone tomorrow, Your lawn care blesses me and fits me for a Kingdom not my own. I would rather be nowhere else but this close and closer with You.  Psalm 139
 
Hidden, secret, and safe, our Nest in Your presence protects us and gives us a place for healing. Your glory surrounds us and gives us increase as we turn to You. Your nest is a safe haven for us, and as we grow we discover more of You and more about ourselves. In our discovery, we develop wings of trust and faith in You. As we remain, You feed us and teach us to fly. These wings enable us to soar with You beyond all that entangles.  You enable us to fly to Your holy city. Psalm 84:3
 
Your net has captured my heart, mind, and imagination. I have been caught by other nets that ensnare and trap, but Yours gives comfort. The other nets choke and strangle leaving no room for escape. If I struggle, they only get tighter til I am a slave doomed to be dragged in for destruction. When I am caught by You, I gain everything and lose nothing. I don’t want to struggle. I want to be drawn into You. In turn, you give me a net to draw others in. My failures are many. Those I attempted to draw in, have turned away, and blame is laid at my feet. Yet You give me a new net and bid me try again. Thank You for capturing me. May I one day bring a mighty catch to You.  Matthew 13:47
 
You are the only News worth reporting. Your News is the Good News for mankind. To hear all You have done for us out of love gives us a better understanding of our worth. There is no greater news than that of God’s Son sent to us to redeem us, who sacrificed Himself for us that we may be saved and be included in God’s Kingdom. All other news, fake or otherwise, takes a much lesser seat than Yours, oh Lord. Matthew 13:3-23
 
You are my directing light, my North Star, amidst this sea of dark. Thankfully, we don’t follow man who spins around and is lost. When we let You lead, we arrive at the destination You have for us. We accept hardship as Your pruning, we see the benefits of difficulties. Following You is not easy as You do not echo what our flesh desires. Yet, when we follow You, the corruptible dross falls away and we are left not with a desire for momentary things, but for incorruptible things. Our hearts long for that which doesn’t perish, spoil, or fade, and the only way to get there is by following You, my North Star. Matthew 2:1-2

7 Words that describe God- ‘M’:
 
Magnificent
Maker
Mana
Master
Matchless
Morning Star
Multiplier
 
You are magnificent, my Lord. When I consider Your work around me and within me, I see how elaborate You are. You consider all things, and You know my day-by-day. Your beauty always impresses me, Your extravagance astounds me. I am ushered into a grander life than I ever knew. You take my breath away by showing me even a portion of what You have in store for me. You give meanings to words I don’t know and have never heard. Truly, You are magnificent!  Psalm 145:3-5
 
You make new things here Lord. Every day is an empty canvas, a blank slate, ready for Your masterpiece to unfold. We await Your return Lord Jesus, and in the waiting, we are filled with eager expectation. We know of the things that await us here while we wait for You: ill-fortune, ‘bad-luck’, and tragedy. Every day can be lived in fear of forces beyond our control, but You make beauty from ashes. You made a way for us to be with You forever beyond the reach of this place. Make in me a thankful heart that I may receive more of You.  Proverbs 3:5-6
 
Oh! Bread from heaven! You come to us in our hunger for more than this life. You fill us beyond the reach of the food that fades. For that kind only promises we will be hungry again. But with You, our hunger is forever satisfied. You show up in ways unexpected but at times most needed. Your beneficial blessings assist us and lend us strength. The freshness of Your presence is better than baked bread straight from the oven. Your aroma overwhelms all others bringing joy to our souls.  John 6:49
 
You are my Master. Serving You is my greatest joy. Everything You would have me do, from laying aside my thoughts- for they are woefully focused on fading things, to submitting to You my response to this ending world- for it is rageful as it entangles, You free me from my vices and give me better thoughts to have and better a response to give. My Master’s call rings loudly in my heart and mind and echoes in my hands and feet. May distractions fade like sparks from a fire. For the flame it entices me to is not Yours. It seeks to destroy, You seek to refine. I seek to serve You, my Master.  Matthew 6:19-24
 
Since we began, we have told millions of stories, even billions, but none have come close to You, oh Matchless One. Some are pure fiction and complete lies as they try to confuse and dilute the truth of You to be more palatable to us, but there is no comparison. You truly are Matchless! Your love, Your power, Your presence are incomprehensible. Because of You, we have to let go of how things are here- people sink in water, and we have to hold on to something that fights against the tide of worldly reason- faith. You are Matchless, there is no other.  Exodus 15:11
 
You are my bright Morning Star. You didn’t fall but came down to us, for us. You shine at all times like the others but You shine brightest and first among our sky. You invite us to shine with You in the purest of light. May I choose to shine with You, oh bright Morning Star, and in Your victory take my place among the heavens. For the Son who was sent to save us has returned in glory, but the one who was cast out remains in darkness forever.  Revelation 22:16-17
 
One of my favorite stories of You as the Multiplier was the one with the 5 loaves and 2 fish. Using the 5 & 2 as a template for what I can offer is probably a little grandstanding. But the point I got was that though I don’t amount to much by myself- maybe a meal for 2, but in Your hands, I can feed thousands with baskets of leftovers for the next generations. You take my offering and multiply it to be enough. Thank You, Lord.  John 6:1-14

7 Words that describe God- ‘L’:
 
Lamb
Lense
Life
Light
Likeness
Lion
Love
 
Jesus, You are the Lamb who, by Your sacrifice, cleansed me from sin. You, Son of God, washed away my spots though You were spotless. The power of Your undeserved death saved me from my deserved one. You have paid my debt and ransomed me that I may dwell with You. Your blood covers me and dresses me in robes whiter than snow. Thank You, oh Lamb of God! John 1:29
 
You are my Lens, oh Lord, through which I want to see all of this life. I know many before me have described faith as being that lens.  I know a time is coming for all things to be revealed. But for me to walk as if that time is now, and to look around with my eyes focused on You instead of all that would entangle, my path would be straight. It would lead unerringly to You. You, my heart’s desire. 1 Samuel 16:7
 
At times, life here is so fragile. At others, so strong. It can beat the odds for the moment or for years, but much like ‘all have sinned’, all will die. More than a term for understanding our reality, life is time. It is a sentence for criminals who have lost their place among us. It is a guarantee of the durability of various products. But life in our understanding of You is beyond time. It has no end. You are Life. You hold all things together. I seek to honor and glorify You with my time, with my life, that I may one day gain Yours that has no end.  John 3:16
 
Thinking of You as the Light was one of the first words You gave to me to describe You with. I could see darkness. I knew its presence. I heard its breath. I hated it. But You, You chased it away with a glance. Darkness hides like a prowler dressed in night spying from house to house. Your Light washed over each home that called on Your Name. You protected us like a truck with the high beams on. Darkness fled. Its power to hide was gone. It retreated before You. I’ve only wanted to be this close and closer to You, my Lord, my Light.  1 John 1:5
 
You created us in Your likeness. Male and female, You formed us. You gave us authority over all the earth. There have been times when I found our likeness unto You to be terrifying. We have so much authority over this life and we cause so much pain- some of it is purposeful, some of it not. This life is too real, and we are the shapers of it. When we aren’t mindful, terrible things happen. Futures are swallowed up by fading desires, destinies are ended before they can begin. But also in our likeness of You, there is peace and beauty and we can watch wonder be born. Awareness of Your likeness in us is reality, all else is but fantasy.  Genesis 1:26-27
 
Your Word describes You as a lion. Your roar sends Your enemies to flight. Your boldness can not be contained. Your authority when You enter the room is unquestioned. Fear is an appropriate response to Your greatness. Both those who worship You and those who curse You will bow and kneel at the mention of Your name. Your roar encourages Your people and reminds them of Whom they serve. Your mane brings comfort to Your people and invites them to draw near. Your teeth and claws protect Your people and scatter the foe. You, oh Lion of Judah, are truly great and greatly to be praised. Philippians 2:10-11
 
Thank You for Your love. I know receiving it from You is a battle at times. You don’t do things as I do. I fail to uphold the simplest of Your commands. I know my obedience to You communicates my love for You, but my mistakes are many. Your love is limitless. Your response to my fallenness is love’s fullest manifestation. You acted outside of our understanding to bring us something beyond our reckoning. Your love doesn’t make sense here. We say, “If you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours,” but we didn’t scratch Your back. We whipped it. Crucified it. Buried it. In response? You loved us.  Romans 5:8

7 Words that Describe God- ‘K’:
 
Keeper
Key
Kind
King
Kinsman
Kiss
Knower
 
You are the keeper of life, wisdom and knowledge. Those who seek to add any of those in their life must go to You and enter through Your gates. You give to all who ask. You keep me in the shadow of Your wings, protecting me in safety amidst this dark and fading world. You alone are the Keeper. I give You all my praise, for You also are the Giver.  Psalm 121:5-8
 
You are the Key to the door of my hopes and dreams. You unlock passions and desires greater than my own. This world has a set of keys that always leads to less. The doors it opens pretends to be what we want, but it always makes us less and traps us in sinking sand withholding any thoughts of escape. At this point we have two options: we either fight You and claim this is true ‘freedom’- hopelessness and death await us there, or we repent- take the key that You are, unlock the prison doors and run from all that entangles. Thank You for being the Key to more, oh Lord. Your blessings know no end.  Isaiah 33:6
 
You are thoughtful and kind towards me, my Lord. You are unlike any boss here. Bosses don’t care as long as I get the job done. I don’t get in Your way or prevent You from climbing Your career’s ladder. You place me above such things, oh Lord. You consider me and Your thoughts bless me. Your kindness leads me deeper with You. I want to repent of anything that would separate us. I want to leave any pride, any vanity behind. Whatever I could gain here in this fading world, I consider loss compared to You. Thank You for being kind to me.  Titus 3:4-6
 
You are the King of kings and Lord of lords, my God! There are many names that we can use to give You honor and praise, but this one has so much darkness in it. Kings here have abused, oppressed and subjugated people for centuries. You do not do such things. You don’t dominate us or control us. You don’t wage wars that would take our children from us. You don’t demand a tax that so often was used by the people to protect them from their own king. When I call You my King, I do so to honor Your authority above my own. I seek to serve You with all I am and I wait in expectation, for Your favor is life. 1 Timothy 1:17
 
You have called me Your child. Jesus’ sacrifice and my belief in His grace toward me bring me closer still. Your blood that was shed covers me and You call me Your brother. You know me completely yet You never push me away. You only bring me closer. You could disregard me and cast me out. I am not holy, like You. I am not righteous, like You. I am not blameless, like You. What have You to do with me? Why do You care? I do not advance You or make You look good in any way. I have no value on my own. I’m not worth even a penny, and yet the price You paid says I am a treasure beyond any value. You make me more. You call me kinsman, so You are mine.  2 Corinthians 8:9
 
You are to me like a mother’s kiss goodnight. The fulfillment of prophecy, the downfall of my enemies, the savior of my soul, and many more unseen things, fill me with awe, joy, and thankfulness. But none of that reaches to me now. It is all distant, in the past or in the future. A mother’s kiss goodnight puts me at ease and lets me know beyond the trials of the day- if I was victorious or if I failed, made You proud or brought You shame, that I am loved. And that I can rest now in Your arms. John 13:23
 
You know me, Lord, more than I will ever be able to comprehend this side of the grave. I rest securely beneath Your wings. You give me strength because I know You love me. There are no secrets that can be kept from You. You know the stars by name. You know all that has ever been, all that is, and all that will ever be. You are the Knower of me.  1 Corinthians 2:10-11