Hashem has different names, each serving a distinct purpose. There is a forty-two lettered name (sheim mem-beit of Hashem which according to the Kabbalists, is the holiest of all His names. It is comprised of the first letters of the forty-two words of the “Ana becho’ach” prayer composed by the Tanaitic sage Rabbi Nechunia ben Hakanah. The Siddur, at the end of each of the seven verses of “Ana becho’ach,” prints an acrostic of the first letters of the six words of the verse. These letters, according to the Kabbalists, are the forty-two letters which spell this exalted name.
In the Gemara (Kiddushin 71a) Rabbi Yehudah states in Rav’s name: “The forty-two lettered name of Hashem is entrusted only to him who is pious, meek, middle-aged, free from bad temper, sober and not insistent on his rights. And he who knows this name is heedful thereof (not to use it lightly), and observes it in purity, is beloved above and popular below, feared by man, and he inherits two worlds, this world and the future world.”
Furthermore, Hashem created the world with this forty-two lettered name (Zohar II, 234b), and it facilitates a Jew’s endeavors to ascend spiritually from level to level. For this reason, every morning as we prepare to ascend spiritually, through prayer, we recite “Ana becho’ach” before “Eizehu mekoman.” Likewise for the ascent through the minchah prayers, before “Ashrei” we say karbanot (portions dealing with sacrifices) and conclude with “Ana becho’ach.” Before going to sleep we recite “Ana becho’ach” in Kriat Shema al Hamitah, since the neshamah prepares itself to be rejuvenated and to rise to a higher spiritual sphere. And on Friday night, after reciting six Psalms corresponding to the six days of the week (see Siddur Otzar Hatefilot), as we prepare to enter the holiness of Shabbat, “Ana becho’ach” is also recited.
The forty-two encampments correspond to the forty-two letters of Hashem’s name. Leaving Egypt to reach Eretz Yisrael was a process of elevation (aliyah) and the forty-two lettered name helped the Jews in this endeavor.
from sichosinenglish dot org
Interestingly enough, Douglas Adamas, the deceased author of the book Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy, described himself as a radical atheist. Hashem always has the last laugh.