In a Name
Happy Belated Mother's Day. We had a special day appreciating the gift of motherhood yesterday. Morgan and Danielle made me a sweet video clip and my mom wrote me one of those letters that reached right down deep inside and touched the 'spring up oh well' button. :-) I love my Mom. She's a gem. She's such an inspiration of strength, wisdom, patience, and Godly love. I can't imagine life without my mom. She's probably my best friend. This was the first year without my Grandma. We miss her. I think she had the best mother's day ever this year though, as she spent it with the Lord and is experiencing first hand the Father's love toward her- and her giving it in return back to Him.
Last Saturday, I heard a sermon in which the preacher illustrated a Bible character's name and how it described his personality and character. Although the essence of his message wasn't on the meaning of names, it has really given me something to ponder the last couple days. I've been thinking alot about names.
I know that we don't place meaning on our names like they did in Bible times, but I wonder if there is still more significance to our name than we think. And if there is not now, I think there can be. I think the name we give to our child can have great significance. We now choose a name based mostly on how we like the sound of it, the association of it, and the popularity of it. When we chose Danielle's name, we considered all of these things, but we also considered the meaning of her name.
Lately, I have been considering the meaning of her name on an even deeper level and actually am feeling strongly impressed to model my prayers for her by her name- that she would become a woman of God who would live up to her name.
Her name embodies so much meaning. I pray consistently that she would grow to love God, to be sensitive to His voice, and to capture a passion for His Kingdom. And now, I am also praying even more specifically that she would live up to her name.
Last Saturday, I heard a sermon in which the preacher illustrated a Bible character's name and how it described his personality and character. Although the essence of his message wasn't on the meaning of names, it has really given me something to ponder the last couple days. I've been thinking alot about names.
I know that we don't place meaning on our names like they did in Bible times, but I wonder if there is still more significance to our name than we think. And if there is not now, I think there can be. I think the name we give to our child can have great significance. We now choose a name based mostly on how we like the sound of it, the association of it, and the popularity of it. When we chose Danielle's name, we considered all of these things, but we also considered the meaning of her name.
Lately, I have been considering the meaning of her name on an even deeper level and actually am feeling strongly impressed to model my prayers for her by her name- that she would become a woman of God who would live up to her name.
Her name embodies so much meaning. I pray consistently that she would grow to love God, to be sensitive to His voice, and to capture a passion for His Kingdom. And now, I am also praying even more specifically that she would live up to her name.
- Danielle- I pray that she would dare to be a Daniel- a woman of prayer. I pray that she would be bold as Daniel was bold. Danielle means "God is my judge". I pray that she would keep her eyes fixed on the author and perfector of her faith, that she would not care about what others think, but only what her Father in heaven thinks. I pray that she would remember the responsibility she has to one day stand before God and give and account for her life and that she would present spotless robes to Him- cleansed by the blood of His Son. I pray that she would have the courage to face whatever may come at her in her witness for Christ- whether that be a den of lions or a furnace of flames.
- Esther- means 'star'. I pray that Danielle Esther would shine as a star and reflect the Lord's light in a dark world. I pray that God would use her to guide others to the Truth, as He used the star of Bethlehem to guide the wise men to Truth in Bethlehem. I pray that she would reflect the star-like beauty of the Lord and that when people gaze upon her and notice the inner beauty that shines, that they would worship the Lord who created her and gave her that beauty. Esther was set apart for 'such a time as this'. She was such a strong and courageous woman.
- I pray that my Danielle Esther will be a strong leader among her people, as both her namesakes were. I pray that she would be bold, strong, and courageous as they both were. That she would be obedient and God would grant her wisdom and discernment to know how to share His Truth with others. I pray that God would keep her from the enemy, who wants to destroy her and thwart God's purpose for her life. I pray that He would protect her from the Hamans and the Nebuchadnezzers who might stand in the way of her ministry. I pray that my little girl will be sensitive to God's voice and timing as they both were and that she would love Him with her whole self.
These are my daily prayers. All in a name. I believe that God gave Danielle her name. And I believe that my little girl has a calling to fufill. I only pray that I will be successful in doing my part to help her succeed.
8 comments:
Ang, this is an awesome post! I love that picture of the 2 of you too. :) Soooooooo precious. Did you get your hair cut?
I believe there is more to influence of our names than many think...and I believe that you have captured a very important focus by praying her name over her. I loved this post! Thanks for sharing. You are beautiful together :)
(I added stars for you on Matt's blog so that people would be sure to see your post)
No, my hair is still long. Many days I'm tempted to cut it, though- then I remember that it's taken me 3 years to get it this long and I think twice about it. IT's just behind my shoulder in the picture.
I too believe we are influenced by our name more than we realize. In a way, I think 'living up to your name' is a psychological component of how people live, when they discover what their name means. I wonder if any modern studies have been done on this. It would be interesting to see.
Thanks for adding stars. I've tried to do it, and I must not do it right, because it doesn't seem to work for me.
You always have such sweet pictures of you and Danielle, and such sweets posts. Becoming a mom really does change you, doesn't it.
I agree that the name can be very important, especially if it has great significance (either its meaning, or named after someone important). Micaiah's name means "who is like Yahweh". He was also a prophet in 1 Kings 22 who, though he was tempted and swayed a little, stood his ground in the face of adversity. He spoke the truth from the Lord even when facing death. It has always been our prayer that our little Micaiah would do the name, and would always have an understanding for who Yahweh really is.
That was Dena, by the way. I'm on Ell's computer.
Thank you for your post...it really made me think. I picked Olivia's name because I liked it. Now I need to dig and see what its deeper meanings are other than "olive tree". Thanks for spiking my interest. I'm looking farward to what I will discover.
Nicole
Thanks, Dena. Yes, becoming a mother definitely does bring it's changes- all good! I hope the changes you're seeing in me are good? Was I really that bad before? (wink)
Nicole, Olivia is a beautiful name. And I looked up olive trees on Wikipedia. I noticed a couple things. Olive trees are often found to grow well near a sea. You could pray that Olivia would always be thirsty for the things of God as olive trees are thirsty. You could pray that her life would bear much fruit for the Lord as an olive tree bears fruit for consumption. And that she would bring the Good News of Life to people as olives are a source of nutrition for others. Olive leaves are also used for medicinal purposes- you could pray that she would be an instrument of healing for others. These are just some ideas. You should go there and look. It's interesting.
I know some may think this far fetched, but I really think you can take any name and use it to model prayers for our children after...it doesn't necessarily have to be a Bible name.
Just some thoughts. What is her middle name?
I agree that this is a beautiful and powerful practice. Thank you for the reminder, Ang!
I had always known the meaning of my name - Christmas child, or birthday. But I didn't perceive any deeper meaning to it. The Lord then spoke to me through a man on my internship at PIWC and opened my eyes to a powerful meaning behind my name and why it was chosen. I also believe the Lord chose my name for me as he knew the plans he had for me before I was even born. I am now built up in Him at the reminder of what it means.
Thank you dear friend!
(It was so god to talk! I love you very much.)
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