Our Name Matters

Many years ago, before sanctification, I watched a movie called Where the Heart Is. This teenage girl was pregnant and abandoned by her boyfriend at a Walmart. Young, scared in an unknown, small country town, not confident, no skills seemingly, she hid out in Walmart at night. Well during a terrible storm, she went into labor. A secret admirer, who had been keeping an eye on her, busted a glass in to get to her and help her. After the baby was born, the nurse came in to get the vital information for the baby’s birth certificate. The Mom remembered a conversation she had while still pregnant, where she was told to give her baby a strong name, a sturdy name, one that means something. 

She named her baby Americus! 

You know we all have a reason that our names are what they are. Maybe it’s a family name, a dear friend, a thought or experience that our parents had during pregnancy, maybe our first name just sounded good with our last. I’m named after my cousin, and one of my brothers is named after his dad, I named my girls, not after anyone, but so much thought and searching went into it. My daughter named her boys after family, strong meaningful family names. 

Today’s devotion is titled Your Name Matters.

Jeremiah 1:5 before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee, and before you came forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. 

Jeremiah was born into the lineage of Levi and was called to be a profit. We know that the Lord knew every one of us before we were born and we each were scheduled to be born according to God's timing and His will, but not many people were appointed to be a profit before birth. He was a man who doubted and was reluctant. He went through hardship, pain, and rejection. He was known as the weeping profit.

The name Jeremiah means, a person who complains continually or foretells disaster. Regardless of Jeremiah’s shortcomings, he was used mightily and had intimate fellowship with the Lord. God had a call on Jeremiah‘s life and he has a call on each of our lives that trust and believe in those who submit to Him. 

God changed Abram‘s name to Abraham because Abram honored God and God fulfilled a long-coming promise to make Abraham a father. God didn’t stop there but made him the father of a multitude. Abram means the father (meaning God) is exalted. Abraham means father of multitudes.

God changed Sarai and Sarah, which is Abraham‘s wife, both mean princess. The transformation from Barron to mother of nations in Genesis 17:16, that’s profound. 

Jacob struggled and wrestled in prayer and that proved what was most important to him, which was God‘s Will. God changed his name to Israel meaning let God prevail.

Matthew 10:2 Mark 3:16 and Luke 6:14 all record that Jesus changed Simon‘s name to Peter. The meaning of the name Peter is stone, boulder or rock. In Matthew 16 we get the explanation of why. Jesus asked His disciples about who people think that Jesus is. The disciples named different opinions, such as, some think Jesus is a prophet, some think Jesus is Elias or John the Baptist. Jesus responded by saying, but who do you say that I am? Peter said you are the Christ, the son of the living God. Jesus’ response was, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Peter‘s name means rock, but it is actually Peter‘s recognition and profession about who Jesus is, that Jesus will build his church upon. 

We are still talking about in this devotion, how our name matters.

Matthew 1:18-21

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.

Our Name Matters

So you may think yes all of that makes sense but that’s Jesus and his Disciples, His chosen, His hand picked….

Guess what, if you’ve given your heart and your life over to Jesus to be your Savior and your Lord, you are His child too. You are His chosen. You are His handpicked.

Genesis 1:27

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him, male and female created he them. 

Isaiah 43:1 But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. 

Now I realize that some of the scriptures I’m referencing are speaking directly to a person, but the word of God is for all of us to learn, to grow, to build confidence in Him, to know that he has no respect of persons, and if we obey and put Him first in our lives, these words apply to us as well. 

He has called us by name. 

He knows our name. 

Our name holds importance to Jesus. 

May we all rest in the knowledge of His word telling us that we were created by Him, we were created in His image. He has called us by our name!  Don’t ever doubt you’re importance!