Understanding the Names of God: Adonai

NOTE: My third book in the Names of God devotional study series (Names of God: Growing Strong) will release on July 7 and is available for pre-order now. Understanding the names of God in this book has made a huge difference in my life, especially in the way I view challenging circumstances and how I pray about them. I want to share a few nuggets with you in my blogs between now and launch day, so here’s the second in a series about God’s names.

In case you missed the first, here’s the link to Understanding the Names of God: Yahweh Tsuri. 

Let’s begin…

We all love the idea of God as provider, protector, and friend. Those truths bring comfort and reassurance especially when life feels uncertain. But consider another dimension of God’s character that’s both challenging and freeing. It’s captured in the name Adonai, which means “Lord” or “Supreme Master.”

Scripture teaches that God owns everything on earth, and rightfully so because He created it. 

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. (Psalm 24:1 NIV)

To the Lord your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it.
(Deuteronomy 10:14 NIV)

"The silver is mine and the gold is mine," declares the Lord Almighty. (Haggai 2:8 NIV)

Owning everything makes God the supreme Master. It’s easy to agree with this truth until a situation comes along that tests our Sunday school theology. Here’s a personal example.

My story

In the late 1980s, my husband and I dreamt of someday owning a piece of lakefront property. Our dream came true when we found a waterfront home within our price range. You had to see it to believe it. Read on to fully understand, okay?

This house was not beautiful beyond description. It was decrepit beyond belief. It stunk. It was bug-infested. It didn’t even have a foundation. That’s what made it affordable.

The local fire department torched it and we hired a contractor to build a new house on the site. It became a hub for ministry to friends, family and missionaries traveling through on home assignment. 

Four years later, Adonai led me and my husband to become career missionaries at a year-round camp on an island off British Columbia’s coast. Until that time, I had no problem calling God my “Lord,” but acknowledging the truth about His character as revealed in that name now meant acknowledging that He owned my dream house and, therefore, had the right to do with it whatever He wanted. Living from that truth meant our only option was to release the house for which we’d scrimped and saved and worked so hard to own. 

I’ll always remember listing the house with a real estate agent, loading the moving van, locking the doors behind us, and lumbering up the driveway never to return. It was one of those times when head knowledge moves to the heart. In surrendering to the Supreme Master, I began to live by the truth of what this name represents. (You can read the whole story in the session about Adonai in Names of God: Growing Strong).

What does it mean to call God “Adonai”?

As I already mentioned, the Hebrew name Adonai speaks of God as the supreme Master—the rightful owner of everything. Everything. Not just everything in heaven and on earth, but us, too–our lives, our plans, and our possessions. It’s a relational term, not just a title. When we call God Adonai, we’re acknowledging that He has authority over us, and we willingly place ourselves under His leadership.

For some, that idea can feel uncomfortable. Words like “master” and “servant” carry baggage, often tied to images of harsh control or loss of freedom, but the biblical picture of Adonai is different. In ancient times, a good master took responsibility for his servants’ well-being by providing food, shelter, protection, and guidance. He equipped them for their work and treated them as part of his household.

That’s the heart of God. To call Him Adonai is to trust that His authority is not oppressive, but loving. It’s not restrictive, but purposeful. Adonai doesn’t demand obedience to diminish us; He commands it to bless us.

Adonai doesn’t demand obedience to diminish us; He commands it to bless us.

Grace Fox

Abram’s turning point

One of the first times the name Adonai appears in Scripture is in the life of Abram (later Abraham). For years, Abram knew God as Yahweh—the self-existent Creator. But something shifts in Genesis 15. After witnessing God’s power and sovereignty in a series of events, Abram addresses Him as Adonai. It’s more than a change in vocabulary. It’s a change in posture.

Abram moves from simply knowing about God to surrendering fully to Him. He recognizes God not just as Creator, but as Master. And in that moment of surrender, God reveals more of His plan. That’s when He promises Abram a son and descendants as numerous as the stars. (Genesis 15:2-6)

Here’s the takeaway: deeper intimacy with God often follows deeper surrender to God.

Deeper intimacy with God often follows deeper surrender to God.

Grace Fox

We can go through the motions of faith—attending church, reading Scripture, serving others—without truly yielding control. But when we acknowledge God as Adonai, everything changes. Our faith becomes more than routine; it becomes relationship.

The common tension we feel

Let’s be honest—surrender doesn’t come naturally. There’s something in us that resists giving up control. We want to choose our own path, set our own pace, and make our own decisions. Culture reinforces this mindset, celebrating independence and self-direction.

The problem is, we don’t have the wisdom or foresight to manage life on our own. What feels like control is often just limitation in disguise.

At the same time, we hesitate to say yes to God as our Master because surrender feels risky. What if He asks something hard? What if His plans disrupt ours? Let’s remember: God isn’t safe—but He is good. 

The tension we feel is this: Can we trust a God who, as our Master, gives us assignments without giving us all the details first? Can we trust a God who doesn’t explain Himself but who always proves faithful?

Let’s apply this truth about Adonai

Living from the truth of who God is as revealed in His name Adonai doesn’t necessarily mean selling your house. It might look much simpler but is equally significant.

The Master might assign you to extend kindness to a difficult person. He might ask you to step back from an activity you enjoy to do something you wouldn’t naturally choose to do. He might say it’s time to say yes to that nudge you’ve been ignoring.

The specifics will vary, but the principle remains the same: God is the Lord and Supreme Master and, because of who He is, deserves our (joyful) obedience. Surrendering to His authority positions us to experience His provision because, when Adonai gives an assignment, He always strengthens us and gives everything needed to fulfill it. 

He provides wisdom when we don’t know what to do.
He gives strength when we feel inadequate.
He brings freedom where we feel stuck.

The invitation

Learning to live from the truth of who God is as revealed in His name Adonai invites us to move from casual belief to committed surrender. We shift from being the master of ourselves to entrusting ourselves to the Master of everything.

Let’s be honest, okay? Let’s invite the Holy Spirit to do a heart-check on us by asking ourselves these questions: Is God truly my Master, or is He just my helper? Am I commmitted to serving Him, or do I expect Him to serve me?

Because of who He is, Adonai invites and deserves our surrender. When we respond with a simple “Yes, Lord,” we step into a relationship marked by trust, provision, and deeper intimacy than we ever imagined.