We all get a name. Our parents either get a cool book with a 1,000 meaningful names and pick out the most fitting one, or they take the easy way out and give you grandma’s or grandpa’s family name (which is likely to haunt your elementary years). It’s something that we all have in common- it’s the thing that identifies us our whole lives.
Whether you know it or not your name means something. At some point the person that came up with your name gave it a meaning. In the scriptures your name meant everything. It often told of your profession, your personality, your lot in life, it let people know whether you were gonna be something or whether you were destined to fail.
“Hey my names Peter, THE ROCK.”
So that would be sweet.
“Hey my names Job, PERSECUTED.”
Ouch. Stinks for you bro.
I’m not going to look up what Katie means. We all know what our identities use to be in. It doesn’t matter what Google tells you.
“Hi my name is Katie, SELF DOUBT, IMPRISONED, SELFISH, DISHONEST, PLANNER, ASHAMED.”
That used to be my name. That’s the name I built for myself and I thought I was stuck with it. God loves to change names and identities. He does it over and over in the scriptures. Before the followers know it they can’t even remember what their names were before. Once you get a name that means “Rock” or “Praise” or “Fire” you don’t care about trying to remember.
Our boys use to have names like Lost, Angry, Dead, Stupid, Unwanted.
Their names are changing. They are taking the form of Alive, Praise, Healed, New, Steadfast, Righteous, and Cherished…
One day it will be difficult for them to remember their old names. Praise God- the Creator of all things new. New names, new paths, new destiny.
It’s certainly not an easy process. You may have to wrestle, walk through a dry place, and fight for this new name. The more my name changes to fit His the more tears, heartache, and pain I will certainly face. As the boys’ form to Him there will be more fits, bouts of anger or doubt, maybe even running.
“Therefore, I will now allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. From there I will give her he vineyards, and make the Valley of Achor a DOOR OF HOPE. There she shall respond as in the days of her youth, as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt. On that day, says the LORD, you will call me, “My husband,” and no longer will you call me, “My Baal.” For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth and they shall be mentioned by name no more.” Hosea 2:14-17
After reading those verses I hear God saying- “You get your name wrong from not calling on my real name, stop running to the idols that confuse you, cripple you, and mess with your precious name. Only I can show you who you were always meant to be.”
We will search our whole lives for our real name and fail miserably unless we simply ask for Jesus to lead us into the desert for a new name. A desert is not the ideal vacation spot; they are massive, hot, and dry. But there is another side to all deserts and once you reach the other side you won’t remember who you were when you began the journey.
Our house has made it to the other side of a desert and by his deep, unending grace our names are all changing together. There are days of deserts still and there will always be. With every journey we get closer to our real home. I am thankful for this family of brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, and best friends. We get to travel together, cry together, praise together, fight together, and laugh together.
Don’t be deceived to think you are stuck with your name. God has something more real, and beautiful. He is waiting to re-name us all the time. He will do it; we need only ask and follow where He leads.
Make us new and dangerous for the Kingdom that beckons us by our New Name. When it hurts, becomes more difficult then what we can take, help us to keep walking and fighting-TRUSTING you are making us new and whole.
“Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. To everyone who conquers I will give a white stone, and on the white stone is written a new name that no one knows except the one who receives it.” Rev 2:17
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