What is in a name, and how does it give us identity?
Have you ever looked up the meaning of your name?
As you know, words have power. I think names have even more power than we give them credit for.
I like to listen to Christian radio as I’m driving around, running errands. (It helps me if I’m singing along about how Jesus loves us all, making it hard to yell if someone cuts me off!)
Anyway, as I’ve been listening, I have noticed that there are a lot of songs about Jesus and His name.
There are songs about the power of His name, the beauty of His name, and the importance of His name. As Phil Wickham writes in his song:
“At Your name
The mountains shake and crumble
At Your name
The oceans roar and tumble
At Your name
Angels will bow
The earth will rejoice
Your people cry out”
Obviously, neither you nor I are the Savior of the world. We are not the Creator God. You and I are, however, created in His image. We are witnesses of Who He is. We are given the honour of bearing of His image.
So, your name and my name matter. And names have power.
”Sticks and stones may break our bones” but words can hurt us worse than ever…
The names we call each other have power. Your given name has power. And the names you and I place on ourselves—those have tremendous power if we allow them to.
Beyond all those, there are the names that identify us when we have been redeemed by God. Here are just a few of the beautiful, strong, peace-giving, earth-shattering, heart-reaching names we have been given through Him:
Beloved
Daughter
Son
Mighty Warrior
His
Chosen
Saint
Blessed
I recently changed my name legally. It represents who I am now that I know the Lord. And I am growing into who He says I already am.
Hello, my name is Janna Grace Kainos. Janna means “loved by God.” Grace (I’m saved by it.) Kainos means “new creation, fresh, something never done before.”
That’s who I am.
Now, each time I sign my name at work, or fill out a form online, or introduce myself to someone new—I get to remember Who’s I am!
What is your name? What does it mean? Who’s are you?