Some Biblical Names for God

Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain (Exodus 20:7).

In the Jewish tradition, the personal name of God was too holy to be spoken. They wrote "Yahweh" without vowels (YHWH), and a word cannot be pronounced without vowel sounds. In our Bibles, this is usually translated as "LORD" in all capital letters. There were some different variations of Yahweh. Yahweh Jireh means the Lord will provide. Yahweh Rapha refers to God the Healer, and Yahweh Rohi addresses Him as our Shepherd. 

And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shall thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you (Exodus 3:14).

There were other terms for God that referred to His character. Here are a few of them:
I Am - the name given to Moses to indicate that God is eternal - always has been, is, and will ever be
Elohim - the mighty, all-powerful One
El Elyon - the Most High One
El Shaddai - the sovereign One or God Almighty
Adonai - Lord or Master
Abba - Beloved Father

After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy name (Matthew 6:9)

God as Father was a fairly new concept to New Testament thinking. Jesus taught this revelation. This term was only used 14 times in all of the Old Testament, and these all refer to God as the Father of the nation of Israel and not as an individual's Heavenly Father. But it's used nearly 250 times in the New Testament and becomes personal. The opening of the Lord's Prayer is an example of this. When we pray that God's name be hallowed and revered, we should consider who He is and be intent on never trivializing or taking His name in vain by using it in a common, off-handed way in general conversation. We, too, should understand that God is holy.

_________________________________