What's in YOUR name?

Do you ever wonder why you have been given the name you have?  If we really believe God is sovereign over all things, then I suppose we must assume the name we have been given is under His auspices as well.  Maybe you have been named for something silly that has no meaning to you.  No matter - perhaps it was only to teach you to be more thoughtful in your name choices for your children.  See - I like to find a reason behind everything and in everything.  Nothing is meaningless.  Unless you are Solomon writing Ecclesiastes who says, 'Everything is meaningless - there is nothing new under the sun!'  But I digress.

I haven't had to wonder very long why my name is Sarah.  I have given her character a lot of thought through the years but the one line that stands out to me is this from 1st Peter: "You are her daughters [referring to Sarah] if you do what is right and do not give way to fear..."  My guess is that with all that Sarah had to endure (being given into another king's harem of women/wives, being dragged away from home and country by her faith-filled adventuresome husband, being barren and longing for a child, being promised a child but not seeing it happen in her understanding of a time-frame, having a child at 99 years old - ouch/yikes! - you get the picture) - my guess is she may have been given to fear in her natural state.  And who wouldn't?!  A life like that would drive me to fearfulness - without the power of the Holy Spirit working in me.

I think God had me named Sarah for a very good reason.  A key lesson He has me constantly learning is the truth that He is in control, He is good, He is love, He loves me, His perfect love casts out fear, I can trust Him and I need not fear.

Again and again He tells me:

I am in control.

I am good.

I am love.

I love you.

I perfectly love you.

If you trust my love for you, you won't fear.

You can trust me.

You don't need to fear.



Yes, I repeat myself.  Because the lessons of my life get repeated like trying to hammer a concept into a sieve-like brain - because I am slow of heart to learn - because I learn and forget - because God so graciously doesn't give up on teaching me more of Who He is and who I am in His Son.

So, what is YOUR name, and what did God have for you in it?

Is your name Hannah, Anna, Grace or Anne?  All of these mean Grace.  Why might God have given you this name?

Are you named after a relative?  What shaped his/her life?  What did God want you to learn from his or her life?

Are you named after a famous person?  What lessons did God have for him/her?  What might you learn from them?

Are you named after a biblical character?  How might God want to teach you more of His purpose for you by such a name?

Our identities go far beyond what our nomenclature says about us.  But God was very careful to reveal Himself to us and others via His name: I AM.

The Door.

The Shepherd.

The Way.

The Truth.

The Life.

The Servant.

The Holy One.

The Messiah.

The Provider.

The Healer.


There are so many more - it could be a whole other study in and of itself.

But I just thought I'd toss that out there for your reflection, because so much can be learned from understanding what's in a name - both yours and God's.

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