Lord, I Want to Know You: A Devotional Study on the Names of God

Devotional Study

by Kay Arthur

Discover the Limitless Power of God's Name.Enjoy the expanded and updated editions of the best-selling "Lord" Bible Study Series from Kay Arthur.  The "Lord" study series is an insightful, warm-hearted Bible study series designed to meet readers where they are--and help them discover God's answers to their deepest needs. So much of our confusion and pain results because we don't know God -- who He really is, how He works in our lives. But with Lord, I Want to Know You, that will all change. When you know God more fully by studying His names -- Creator, Healer, Protector, Provider, and many others -- you'll gain power to stand strong. You'll find strength for times of trial, comfort for pain, provision for your soul's deepest needs. And your walk with God will be transformed. Let Kay Arthur guide you through the Scriptures in this deeply insightful study. Your daily time with God in His Word will introduce you to the limitless treasure available to you as His child. And these are truths you can share easily with others, individually or in small groups.

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, Devotional, Christianity, Faith, Christian Living, Spirituality

226 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 31, 1984

About the author

Kay Lee Arthur was an American Christian author, Bible teacher, and co-founder of Precept Ministries International. Renowned for her accessible and inductive approach to Bible study, she helped millions engage deeply with Scripture. Arthur began her ministry informally, teaching teenagers in her living room alongside her second husband, Jack Arthur. Their work soon grew into a global outreach, headquartered in Chattanooga, Tennessee, under the name Precept Ministries International. She hosted the daily Bible teaching program Precepts for Life and became a respected voice in evangelical circles. Arthur authored numerous books and was a four-time winner of the ECPA Christian Book Award for titles such as A Marriage Without Regrets and The New Inductive Study Bible. Her ministry was rooted in a personal reawakening to faith in the early 1960s, following a divorce and a return to religious life. She and Jack also served briefly as missionaries in Mexico before founding their ministry. Arthur remained active in public faith-based initiatives into her later years and was known for her firm stances on social issues. She passed away on 2025 leaving behind a lasting legacy in Christian education and publishing.

Reviews

[Kelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Knowledgable. Going thru this devotional is very interesting and the text in the bible that is provided flows really well with what Kay Arthur is talking about. The names of God is something that has always been fascinating, and this just makes you love each name much more than before.

[SeriouslyJerome · Rating 5 out of 5]

Huge for me. Aided me in my change from fearful person, to not so fearful, God trusting person. Gave me a better understanding of how great/powerful God is.

[Margaret Boehm · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent book learning the attributes(names) of God and how they affect our lives.

[Cait Corbett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Literally life-changing. My spiritual walk has drastically changed - for the better. I truly believe I know the characteristics of God so much more.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an incredible study!!! Walks you through the Hebrew names of God and how they were first introduced and understood by the Israelites. But builds the meaning into modern day Christ followers as well! Each one touched me deeper, bringing back memories of my life where God was faithful and revealed His nature to me. Ending with Jehovah-shammah and looking forward to the eternal kingdom when "the Lord is there!" Col 3:1-2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. Phil 3:7-8 Do I count it all rubbish in order than I may gain Christ? 2 Cor 4:16-18 My inner man needs to be renewed day by day! Ps 73:25-28 Besides Thee, I desire nothing on earth! Ps 9:10 "And those who know Thy name will put their trust in Thee, for Thou, O Lord, hast not forsaken those who seek Thee." May we all continue to seek Him day after day!! Maranatha= the Lord is coming!!

[Susie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a GREAT Bible Study and a wonderful group of people. My relationship with Jesus Christ is the best it has ever been.

[John Avery · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have done considerable research on the names of God in the Bible including reading about a dozen of the best books on the subject. Kay Arthur's book is among the best (see my other reviews to find out which ones I consider to be best). Kay Arthur is interested in more than simply a study of names; she wants people to grow in relationship with the Lord. Her book facilitates that well.
My biggest concern with books like this is that they are selective; there are about 500 names of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit in the Bible and to limit any study to a few fails to do justice to God's full character. Also, God is a personality and to dissect Him into a name per chapter is artificial.
Nonetheless, this is a pretty good book.

[Abbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5) I wanted to like this study more. However, I found the writing to be choppy, emotional and illogical at times.

I did like learning more about the definitions of each name of God and their contexts (the study didn’t need all the extra stories etc.), so I ended up seeing the book through for the sake of covering all the names. I do think I’ve grown in my understanding of who God is and drawn closer to Him, so I’m thankful for that. The book also has pretty good application/questions throughout.

I think this could be a good book for newer studiers to drive into the names of God as it is “easy” to go through. Yet, for me, the wordiness overpowered it in the end.

[Violeta Quirino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Los Diferentes nombres de Dios el significado de esos nombres y Que Dios es omnipotente, creador y gobernador de nuestras vidas. Me a ayudado a descargar mis preocupaciones en el y confiar en que Dios esta en control.

[Susan Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love re-reading this book. The names of God are plentiful and this book touches on a few, but it is powerful.

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fabulous Bible study from Kay Arthur! This one focuses on the Hebrew names of God featured in the Old Testament. The translations into English oftentimes do not do justice to His attributes and character.

This is meant to be a 42 day study, but in my usual fashion I completed it much quicker (ten days).

[Olatomi Afilaka · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very timely study for this season to draw in as the time draws near.

[Kim Swartz · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent guide to knowing the names of the Lord on a personal basis.

[Robin Sampson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! I have a dozen books on the names of God and this is one of the best.
No finish date because I return to it often.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE studying the names of God! Knowing His Name, helps us understand and know Him better. The more we know him, the more we can trust Him! Highly recommend.

[Heather Bergeron · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really got a lot out of this devotional! Such great material. I will definitely be revisiting this one!

[James Klagge · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was chosen for an adult Sunday School class I have been taking. It is boring, and spouts a thoughtless fundamentalist theology. The author assumes that the writers of the Hebrew Testament were always looking forward to and predicting the coming of Jesus. Any decent Old Testament scholar will tell you that this is not taking the scriptures seriously in their own right, but using them for other people's purposes. Many things in the Greek New Testament were written precisely to make them seem as though they were the fulfillment of Hebrew Testament predictions. So certain Christians feel that this proves Jesus is the savior--which is precisely what the writers wanted to make you think.
The worst of it is at the end where the author sets out a chart of the end times that is based primarily on a misreading of Revelation, and bears no relation to the rest of her book--I guess she just wanted us to know!
Studying the many names of God is about as interesting and useful as studying the many names of Santa Claus. Of course there are many names, and they can be traced to various sources and purposes.
I am a serious and thoughtful Christian, and would advise others of that ilk to steer clear.

[Ginger · Rating 2 out of 5]

First of all, I'll start by saying the subject matter of Lord, I Want to Know You could not be better -- the names of God are central to our understanding of the character of God.

Now, onto this specific study. I finally completed this study on recommendation of my mom, who has done it countless times and who loves it. So, while this particular system didn't especially appeal to me, it certainly does to some.

I found I did not much care for Kay Arthur's writing style (examples, supporting verses, layout, even the editing), so while there were some gems embedded in the learning, I was distracted by what I found a bit basic and disjointed.

Kay Arthur is known for her Precept Upon Precept method, which I have done a bit of, but not much. Perhaps you would get more out of this study if you are already a disciple of her system.

For myself, I believe there are better books out there on the names of God.

[housedintherock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kay Aruthur is excellent and this is not one of her inductive Bible studies so you don't need to know how to do those in order to go through this. I went through this for the second time with a small group and it was much more meaningful having others' input. We did this right after Edward Welch's When People are Big and God is Small. It was an awesome thing to read after learning about how much I feared people instead of God. My most enduring take away was from Arthur's explanation of what it meant in the time of Abraham to be someone's master and how that relates to God as our Provider.

[Lillie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started a women's Bible study based on this book at my church, but I wasn't able to complete the study because of health issues. I read the rest of the book and answered the questions but didn't write the answers because I was reading on my Kindle. I definitely feel I learned more in the study than in the chapters I read on my own. The group discussion and the DVD teaching really made a difference. The book is well worth reading on your own, but if you can go through it with a small group, it will probably be more effective.

[Laura Vogt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was hard to rate. I loved learning more about the names of God. She has some great information and powerful insights. But I don't like how she can get off topic and tie the name to some issue (like salvation). Great info. But I just really wanted to be in the text to know the name + historical context. 5 stars when she's on topic. 2 stars when off topic (1/2 the book could have been cut). I got bored too. Had to work hard to finish.

Companion videos same review. Some simmered with power, others I could barely focus.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a phenomenal personal journey please don’t rush through this book . It’s a devotional and you must have your ears and heart open to what the Lord is saying to you personally.

you will know come to know personage Of the names of the Lord up close an personal-as it relates to your personal walk with the Lord.

The Lord is waiting on us to get to know him more personal and to truly know him as He is a Loving sovereign and Gracious , Merciful God who knows us . You cannot afford to live without the Lord our lives are truly not our own.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put this one down. I think I finished the whole study in 3 days. I liked it so much I bought one for a friend of mine, used the information in this book to make daily prayer cards using the names of God as a gift for my mother then kept it for myself. She'll just have to wait til I get another creative urge. You will be glad you picked this one up. I did several other Kay Arthur studies after completing this one.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kay Arthur's "LORD" studies, especially this one, are a great introduction to the inductive study method. This book takes you through several of God's names, outlining His character and our response. Kay brings you right to the Word of God and helps you dig into it. I really enjoyed this study and learning more about God's character. Originally I did the study in a group, but it would be fine to do this study by yourself.

[Iamthird · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Names of the Lord:
The Creator
The God Most High
The God Who Sees
The All - Sufficient One
The Lord
The Self - Existent One
The Lord Will Provide
The Lord Who Heals
The Lord My Banner
The Lord Who Sanctifies You
The Lord Is Peace
The Lord of Hosts
The Lord My Shepherd
The Lord Our Righteousness "The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous runs into it and is safe." Proverbs 18:10
The Lord is There

[Wendy C · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm doing this as a Bible study with 3 other ladies. Our discussion have been good and this is an atypical Kay Arthur book as it does not tons of homework that folks do not have time for. Our group is from various denominations and so the discussion part of the names of God has been dynamic. The best part is the tenderness and personal application of what the names mean to draw you closer to who God is to you.

[Ashleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

My understanding of who God is has expanded so much through this great study. Each name share a different attribute of who God has revealed himself to be through his word. I skipped Jehovah Rapha, The Lord our Healer, because I don't agree with the author's view of healing sin sickness primarily and not physical healing. To me, this take is faith weakening, not building. Other than that, I would recommend this as a valuable study for any serious student of the Word.

[Isis Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this for a Bible study. I don't think it lends itself well to group discussion but to be fair we got off track a lot. I think this book took an interesting topic and made it boring by being very repetitive and asking questions that were so simple that you over think them to the point of annoyance because it seems so basic it makes no sense to even be asked as a question. It's not a terrible book and definitely covers an interesting topic but could be written better.

[Ross Heinricy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kay Arthur does an ok job in this book. I am not sure if it is the format or style, but the topic is by far one of the best you could study. About 4/5ths of the way through it became interesting, and I am not sure why. Overall, because of the ending I give it 3 out of 5 stars. God's many names reveal so much of His person, and she really helped me in the study of His name being Jealous and the illustration God gave to the prophet Ezekiel. Some study helps are to be found throughout the book.

[Rhoda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having encountered Kay Arthur's style of Bible study - which I really don't like- I also found this book., despite the topic, to be very boring. I'm a heavy reader but something about this was dry and the main reason I wanted to finish it was to get it off my shelf. I also did not like the study questions. Instead of an enjoyable read, this occasionally felt like dreaded homework. Surely there is a better book out there on the names of God.