Understanding the Names of God: Elohei Tehillati
Praise doesn’t minimize our pain or deny the reality of difficult circumstances. It lifts our eyes above them and fixes our gaze on God’s unchanging character.
NOTE: My third book in the Names of God devotional study series (Names of God: Growing Strong) releases today! Scroll to the bottom of this post for various buy links.
Understanding the seven names of God featured in this book has helped me better understand His desire and ability to strengthen me amid difficulties, and I want to pass the encouragement along. Here’s the last in a series about the names of God in this book.
In case you missed the first six, here are the links:
Yahweh Tsuri:
Adonai:
Ruach Elohim:
El Emunah:
Yahweh Ropheka
Yahweh Makkeh
Now let’s learn about Elohei Tehillati…
I’ll always remember a conversation with my 18-year-old son as he prepared to serve aboard the Logos II, one of Operation Mobilization’s ministry ships. Like every missionary, he needed a team of prayer and financial supporters before he could leave. As his departure date drew near, the necessary funds had not yet arrived.
One afternoon, I asked what I thought was a practical question: “What’s your backup plan if the money doesn’t come in?”
Without hesitation he replied, “If God wants me to do this, then I don’t need a backup plan.”
Touché. My son’s words exposed my heart. While he was resting in God’s faithfulness, I had allowed worry to take root. I realized I had a choice: I could continue rehearsing my fears, or I could change my focus and begin praising God for who He is despite my fears.
The meaning of Elohei Tehellati
God’s Hebrew name Elohei Tehillati reminds us that He is worthy of praise at all times. Meaning “God of my praise,” it first appears in Psalm 109:1, where David cries, “God of my praise, do not remain silent.”
The setting may surprise you. David wasn’t standing on a mountaintop celebrating a victory. He was surrounded by enemies who had repaid his love with hatred and false accusations. His heart was wounded, and he felt deeply betrayed. Yet instead of allowing bitterness to define his response, he addressed God as Elohei Tehillati.
David understood something we often forget: Praise doesn’t minimize our pain. Neither does it deny the reality of our difficult circumstances. Praise lifts our eyes above difficult circumstances and fixes our focus on God’s unchanging character. While our situations change, God never does.
Praise lifts our eyes above difficult circumstances and fixes our focus on God’s unchanging character.
Grace Fox
Choosing praise amid hardship
Ruth Bell Graham said, “Worship and worry cannot live in the same heart: they are mutually exclusive.”
Throughout Scripture we see believers who lived from this truth. For instance, David declared, “I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” (Psalm 34:1) He wrote those words while hiding in a cave, uncertain of what tomorrow would bring.
The apostle Paul echoed the same principle when he wrote from prison, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4) His joy wasn’t rooted in comfortable circumstances but in Christ’s unchanging presence.
James adds another perspective: “Consider it pure joy… whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” (James 1:2-3) He wasn’t suggesting we enjoy suffering. Rather, he reminds us that God uses hardship to accomplish His good purposes in our lives.
Note that none of these passages ask us to pretend life doesn’t hurt. Scripture never encourages denial. Instead, it invites us to remember who God is while we walk through the pain.
Praise reminds us that God is faithful when we cannot see the outcome. It reminds us that He is sovereign when life feels out of control. It reminds us that His promises remain true even when our emotions tell us otherwise.
Use these words to praise
In my situation, God affirmed my choice to praise when I opened my Bible the next morning. My day’s reading directed me to King David’s words when he entrusted his son Solomon with building the Temple. Rather than fixating on the enormity of the task facing the young man, David focused on the enormity of the God who’d given the assignment:
Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power
and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, Lord, is the kingdom;
you are exalted as head over all. (1 Chronicles 29:11 NIV)
I took a prayer walk and rehearsed David’s words aloud. Focusing on God’s greatness rather than on my son’s need replaced my anxiety with peace and confidence in God’s ability to provide. If you’re in a tough situation, take King David’s words and make them yours. You, too, will experience peace as you focus on God’s greatness.
By the way, God did provide. The final financial gifts arrived shortly afterward, and my son left for the mission field on schedule.
Just an aside: Not for a moment am I suggesting that praising God brings financial gain. I am saying that praise strengthened my faith to trust God to do what felt impossible, and God provided what my son required to do the work He called him to do. Hmmm–that sounds like what Adonai does!
Praise changes our perspective
Perhaps you’re carrying disappointment today. Maybe you’re waiting for healing, grieving a loss, navigating uncertainty, or praying for someone you love. If so, follow David’s example. Call on Elohei Tehillati, the God of your praise. Tell Him honestly how you feel, and then intentionally praise Him for His goodness, wisdom, faithfulness, and love.
As you recall God’s flawless character, you may discover that your circumstances may or may not change—but your perspective certainly will. And sometimes that shift in perspective is exactly what God uses to strengthen our faith until we see His answers unfold.
May I pray for you?
“Elohei Tehillati, You are worthy of our praise at all times. When we face challenges, teach us to live not by our emotions but by the truth of who You are. Help us focus not on our fears but on Your beauty and faithfulness. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
Buy links for Names of God: Growing Strong
Amazon.com
Amazon.ca
Christianbook.com (bulk purchases available)
Barnes and Noble
Tyndale Publishing House
Know you are loved,
Grace
My new book, Names of God – Growing Strong, explores seven Hebrew names of God that will encourage you and fortify your faith. Perfect for individual or small group study, Growing Strong will help empower you to “do all things” through Christ as you grow in his strength (Philippians 4:13 KJV).
My new book, Names of God – Growing Strong, explores seven Hebrew names of God that will encourage you and fortify your faith. Perfect for individual or small group study, Growing Strong will help empower you to “do all things” through Christ as you grow in his strength (Philippians 4:13 KJV).
