Praying the Names of God - April 8
From Praying the Names of Jesus Week Seventeen, Day One
The Name
In the last book of the Bible, Jesus reveals himself as "the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." Present at the world's beginning, Jesus will also be present at its end, when he and his work are finally and fully revealed. When you pray to Christ as the Alpha and the Omega, you are praying to the One who is, who was, and who is to come. He is our all-sufficient Lord, who will not fail to complete the good work he has begun in us.
Key Scripture
"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." Revelation 22:13
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Monday
His Name Revealed
Listen to me, O Jacob,
Israel, whom I have called:
I am he;
I am the first and I am the last.
Isaiah 48:12
He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!"
Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."
He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End." Revelation 21:5-6
"Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." Revelation 22:12-13
Lord, you are Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End, First and Last. You are the source of all life and the fulfillment of all desire. You made the world from nothing and then remade it through your love. Help me to be so rooted in you that I never lose heart. May every beginning and every ending in my life be something that glorifies you.
Understanding the Name
The title "Alpha and Omega" occurs only three times in the Bible, and all three are in the book of Revelation. Because Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters in the Greek alphabet, Revelation 22:13 could be paraphrased: "I am the A and the Z, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." These verses in Revelation probably allude to passages in Isaiah in which God identifies himself as being both the first and the last (Isaiah 44:6; 48:12).
Studying the Name
- Can you imagine a human being claiming to be the A to Z? Why or why not?
- How do you think this title relates to Christ's divinity?
- Try to relate this title, Alpha and Omega, to Jesus' role in both creation and in world history. What do you think it means?
- What would it mean to say that Jesus is first and last in your own life?
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Meet your spiritual ancestors as they really were: Less Than Perfect: Broken Men and Women of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them.
