“I will praise you forever, O God, for what you have done, I will trust in your good name in the presence of your faithful people.” Psalm 52:9
What’s in a name? A lot, depending upon who, and why the name is given. In Bible times for example, “last names,” which really weren’t last names in the way we think of them, were given to people based on where they were from. For example, when we say, “Jesus of Nazareth,” Nazareth was the name given to Jesus that let everyone know where He was from. In more modern times, like the 15ththrough 18thcenturies, people were given names based on their occupation or family trade, like “Carpenter” or “Farmer.” Names can be more than random, and often have deep meaning and purpose.
Throughout scripture, we see moments when God changed someone’s name. Abram’s name was changed to Abraham, which means “father of many nations.” Sarai’s name was changed to Sarah, which by adding the “ha” sound, God attached grace to Sarah’s name. In Judges chapter six God called Gideon by a different name. As Gideon was in hiding, God called him “mighty man of valor,” which was actually quite the opposite of where Gideon was at that moment in his life.
In a recent conversation with someone, I shared the importances of them seeing themself, not for how they saw themselves in the natural, but rather how God sees them based on who they really are in Christ. I went on to share with how when we see ourselves as He sees us in, in our position or righteousness and the heavenly assignments or callings we’ve been given, it builds godly confidence. Not confidence in our on own ability, but the “God kind of confidence” that comes when we begin to see ourselves the way He sees us.
Today, God calls us to see ourselves the way He sees us and in the light of who He says we are.