God Has a Name

God Has a Name by John Mark Comer is a book on God having a name, and just how often we (believers and unbelievers alike) do not consider this, do not consider exactly who God is. This book is great at bringing into light what is so often in our hearts: that we want to make God like our own image, what we want and who we want him to be. He does this through looking at the passage in Exodus 34:6-7 and looking at what does God say about Himself in that passage.

God Has a Name is a good and important book, though I have liked other books by John Mark Comer better. With this book, I felt like Comer kept it too shallow at times, using too much wit and quips throughout the text and that took away from the seriousness of the topic. But I am glad that he approached the topic and brought light into an important passage of Scripture.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I read John Mark Comer’s GOD HAS A NAME: WHAT YOU BELIEVE ABOUT GOD WILL SHAPE WHO YOU BECOME, not realizing that it is a Second Edition version of a 2017 spiritual favorite. Too new to say a spiritual classic, but old enough to have a thoughtful Epilogue with new material on Contemplation.

The book is a pastoral examination of Exodus 34:4-7, God’s self-revelation to Moses on Mount Sinai. Comer writes in a warm, welcoming, conversational style and adds interesting bits along the way. He frequently begins a section with the Hebrew words and phrases used in the original and tries to expand their meanings beyond the usual translations. And he generally concludes each chapter by applying YHWH’s self-defined traits, (“compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,” and so forth) to God’s fullest self-disclosure in Jesus.

I have to admit I am often guilty of the error that Comer identifies: a desire to create God according to my personal druthers. But can’t all believers can come together in appreciating Comer’s Epilogue for its greater acknowledgment (it seemed to me) of the unfathomable mystery that is God, available in contemplative prayer?

With thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thought provoking, brimming with humility, God Has a Name brings the heart of the matter to mind as John Mark Comer explores with us the true character of our God, and his most important traits. Have we distanced ourselves from a being desiring our closest friendship by refusing to name him? By not seeing him for who he has declared himself to be?
Comer leads us on a journey to see what God has to say when asked about who he is, and to let go of ideas and doctrines that may have lead us further away from the one who desires us so deeply. He shows us the threads of YHWH's character, woven throughout the entire Bible, and outlines where apostles, prophets, and kings are using the very words of God to describe him and glory in his goodness. Urging us to see where our own imperfect families and relationships can shape the way we see a loving Father, he reveals to us a whole and loving image, and shows us how to further engage with this Heavenly Father as a being, and not a stiff image, distant and uncaring, or worse, constantly wrathful and condemning.
The truth is that the heart of YHWH's religion was the mercy seat, not the judgment seat, and that his compassion and faithfulness will long outlast us and our imperfections as we strive to return to him. He is far more good than we could imagine, and his desire, even today, is to reach every heart that was once severed from him.
Beautiful and searching, I could not recommend this work highly enough. Even though I have been blessed to be a believer since birth, I have come to see more and more of the nature and love of our Father through it. I will not hesitate to find my own copy upon publication and share with others who feel that the idea of God that is preached to them is distant and lacking.

"God Has a Name", by John Mark Comer, is the newest Bible study by Comer. In this book, Comer asks his readers what they really think about God and asserts that their answer to that question is the most important thing about them. I enjoyed the portion of the book about prayer, specifically when he quotes this passage by Dallas Willard: "God's response to our prayers is not a charade. He does not pretend that he is answering our prayer when he is only doing what he was going to do anyway. Our requests really do make a difference in what God does or does not do. The idea that everything would happen exactly as it does regardless of whether we pray or not is a specter that haunts the minds of many who sincerely profess belief in God. It makes prayer psychologically impossible, replacing it with dead ritual at best. And of course God does not respond to this. You wouldn't either."

I thought this was a good book for anyone looking to known more about God. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

“So God has a name. And just to clarify, it’s not God. It’s Yahweh.”

“Jesus came and lived and died and rose from the grave to make the kind of relationship he and Moses had with Yahweh available to everybody.”

“Everywhere you go…In all that you do…You are called by the name of Yahweh. And it’s a really good name.”

I really enjoyed my first book by John Mark Comer. Any book that breaks down Scripture catches my attention and this book that breaks down Exodus 34:4-7 is no exception. I definitely learned a lot in only 6 chapters of Comer’s book, which is packed with Hebrew translation, interesting stories, ties it to Jesus, and then helps us apply it to our lives. No matter where we are in our Christian walk, it’s an amazing reminder that God is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin…and even the part where he doesn’t leave the guilty unpunished all the way to the 3rd and 4th generation. Comer does an excellent job explaining it with an emphasis on how God’s mercy will always outweigh the justice for our sins. There were some random things he said I wasn’t 100% on board with - not saying he is wrong, I just need to unpack it more and think/pray more on it. But overall, very good and I would read another one by him.

* I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley and Thomas Nelson. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.*