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I have a question on "how" to pray.  Since we're instructed to praise Him by name, simply praying to "God" can't be what He meant.  Therefore, by what names (Johovah, Yewah, any other?) does God refer to Himself and shouldn't we call Him by name?

Blessings -

Hi TalkerCat, I am going to attempt to help you out a little here. GOD says His Name is I AM, He also said it's Jehovah, He is not changing His name He has so many attributes and each attribute has a name  I AM is Eternal, not past tense, not future, but present ever-present, as in now. Jehovah is His Name, YAWAH is a Hebrew way of writing or saying Jehovah. We can call Him Father, Abba, LORD, Daddy, Jehovah, Jesus. You can get a lot of information on Christian websites go to your search engine and search for GOD's Names you will get a lot of information along with scriptures to verify, if you don't get Scriptures then it's best not to use them. I personally call Him my Father, my LORD, Jesus.
Try looking on the internet for ElShaddai, El-Elyon, Jehovah-jireh, these are just some, or you might be interested in buying a book from aChristian bookstore on the names of GOD. As for praying, you can pray scriptures, GOD's own Word, you can never go wrong praying GOD's Word. And when you pray, pray to the Father, in the name of Jesus, which is above every other name, and to which every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess. The Book of Psalms has many wonderful prayers, but they are all through out the Bible, example: John Chapter 17, Jesus prays for us, 1Chronicles 4:15 the prayer of Jabez, again you can get books from Christian sites some are free downloads, some can be mailed to you free of charge, no shipping and handling. Do a search for Free Christian books. ChristiansUnite has a section where you can get free books.
I hope I was a little helpful, and don't let anything, no doubts, fears, surroundings or anything else keep you from praying God hears your prayers, even the ones that you don't verbally express, and keep in mind that the enemy cannot read your thoughts or your mind, so even if you call God Daddy, it's between you and God. When you lift your hands and pray, or when you get down on your knees and you call upon the name of Jesus, the enemy flees.
Keep praying !!!  :D

Joh 14:13  And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
Joh 14:14  If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

There are many that preach that it should be one name and only one. That it matters for various reasons and it is blasphemey to do otherwise. However there are many names for Jesus Christ depending on which language you speak. Jesus Christ understands us no matter what language we speak in and knows that we are talking to Him. Jesus is Jehoshua in Hebrew and Christ is Messiah in Hebrew.

If you speak English then why not use the English version of His name? There is no reason not to.

When I pray, I pray to "Father God" in the name of "My Savior Jesus Christ" ... the question arose because of a book I'm reading; "The Purpose Driven Life".  I'm thirteen days into a 40-day journey and last night I read that God commands that we pray to Him by NAME and states (two) names that God uses in reference to Himself -  I thought it meant that I'm to pray to "Jehovah" and personally I'm not comfortable with that, but being a baby-christian, I thought it a fair question to ask.

I really appreciate the thorough, thoughtful answers I received and how quickly you replied.  In fact, I've come to expect and rely on the christian support I receive here.  Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

Blessings -

Brothers and Sisters,

I think that the single most important thing to do is pray from the heart. It can even be silently at work or wherever you are, and God hears us.

I know in my heart that the names we use in our prayers MUST be with complete respect and reverence, but praying from the heart should make that automatic. It is also completely true that the Holy Spirit will guide us in our prayers. I was just thinking that prayer is a very personal thing that also expresses love in your personal relationship with God. GOD knows our hearts, so again, praying from the heart seems to be the most important. We don't and should not pray because we have to, pray to impress others in church or other public places, or pray in any manner that is not from the heart. I keep coming back to praying from the heart because I know that's what God wants to hear.

As an individual, I probably refer to GOD in my prayers most frequently as: 1) Dear Heavenly Father, 2) Lord, 3) Lord Jesus, 4) Lord and Saviour. Now, I'm back to thinking again about Love, Respect, Reverence, and GOD knowing our hearts when we pray. There are many other names that people can and do use in prayer. I usually end my prayers with "In the precious name of JESUS, our Lord and Saviour." As a final thought, I know that we should not pray in an attempt to impress GOD either, so we are really back to praying from the heart in a manner of Love, Reverence, and Respect. When we do, the Holy Spirit helps us. A person very ill, unable to talk, barely conscious, and dying can pray and be heard, even if the person lacks the mental ability to put two words together.

Finally, I give thanks that men will never be able to stop us from praying. We must always remember that the Holy Spirit of GOD lives in our hearts. Our words of Love, Praise, Worship, and Prayer can NEVER be stopped.

Love in Christ,
Tom

Psalms 73:26 NASB  My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

 :D  Sister, that is why we are here. So we can help each other out and pray for each other, and encourage one another.
Yours in Christ,
Maria.

Amen, my brother I couldn't have said it better myself.

Amen.

And another Amen!

When I pray to God,I usually start of with My Father.I call Him
everyone of these names,whatever my need is when I pray.
Elohim,the Creator of heaven and earth.Who was in the beginning.The God of my might and strength.
El Shaddi,the Breasty One.The God almighty of my blessings.
All Bountiful and all sufficient.
Adonai,my Lord and Master.Who is the same yesterday,today and forever.
Jehovah-Jireh,my provider,who sees my needs and provides for them.
Jehovah-Rapha,my healer.You sent Your Word and healed me.You forgave all my iniquities and You healed all my diseases.
Jehovah-M'Kaddesh,My sanctifer.You set me apart for Yourself.
Jehovah-Nissi,You are my Banner,my Victory,and my Standard.You put Your banner over me in love.When the enemy comes in like a flood ,You will lift up a standard aganist him.
Jehovah-Shalom, My Peace,the peace which transcends all undestanding.
Jehovah-Tsidkenu,my Righteousness,that I might become righteousness of God.
Jehovah-Robi,You are my Shepherd and I shall not want for any good or beneficial thing.
Jehovah=Shammah,The Lord who is present,You will never leave or forsake me.
El-Elyon,The Most High God,You are the Everlasting God,The Great God,The Living God,The Merciful God.The Soverign of the heavens and the earth.
God Bless :) :)

Amen praise1,  God is ALL THAT. HE is EVERYTHING. and we are so blessed to be HIS children.