We Are More Than a Name
Do you ever feel like just one more name in the middle of a bunch of names? Do you ever wonder if you even matter at all? Are you truly seen in a vast sea of so many others?
While finding myself staring down at I Chronicles 4 this week, that is exactly what I was feeling. As I started reading the names of this son and that father, that is exactly how I was processing the names I was reading. Just a bunch of names.
However, when I began to process the names through the eyes of faith, I began to see them differently. First, God recorded each one for a reason. Names are never meant to be overlooked or unimportant because they matter to the One that matters most. While often in this life we will feel unimportant and unseen, God never loses sight of us or His great plans for us.
Surprisingly amid this list of names, I didn’t recognize, one man’s name emerged like a spotlight had been shone on a high beam across his story so you wouldn’t miss it. The name Jabez certainly had grabbed my attention.
This man with only two verses of scripture accounted to his name changed my view of my circumstances and filled my heart with hope. Perhaps, we are more than a name after all.
If you have ever dug deep in scripture, you discover names have meaning. Jabez’s mother no doubt was having a day, week, or maybe even a year of feeling like she too was just a name in a sea of names, because she named her son a name that meant “Pain.” Her exact words at his naming were “Because I bore him in pain.” 1 Chronicles 4:9 (NRSV) So just like that a man’s life was labeled.
This world can do that to all of us. Label us with names that will attempt to determine our worth and set the boundaries for our happiness and success in life. Names that hang over us like Worthless, Failure, and Insignificant. Names that label us as either being “too much” or way “too little”. Names that hang over us like gloomy dark clouds attempting to deduce our destinies and fill our days with dread.
But I have good news. Names are changed in the presence of Jesus and through prayer. Jabez’s life would not be hampered by a name. A painful past would not prevent his life from experiencing future joy. With one heart-filled prayer, Jabez’s story would be rewritten into a life of blessing and favor all because of an Almighty God.
Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from hurt and harm!” (1 Chronicles 4:10) And you know what? “And God granted what he asked.” Just like that Jabez received a name change. In one heart-filled prayer session, he rewrote his story from a life of pain to a life of blessing.
Friend, past pain doesn’t get to prevent us from experiencing a life of future joy either. Because of Jesus, we get to leave pain, mistakes, and failures behind us. We get to have good things to look forward to and have days filled with hope ahead of us.
So today slip out of that old name and go ask God for a brand new one. He has more promising names for His sons and daughters than the labels this world uses to brand them. Ask God to enlarge your border from the pain, suffering, and strife the enemy seeks to keep you confined into a land of promise and expectation.
We get to break free of all the enemy’s evil plans to keep us pinned down to a life of unhappiness and despair. We get to break free into the blessings of a Jesus-filled life. And what a life it is!
See you in the field,
Susan
Susan Davidson
I am a country girl from a small town nestled in the mountains of Southwest Virginia. I love discovering something new in God's word, sipping on my favorite coffee and enjoying the simple things in life. And I love to write about all the everyday stuff in between. My hope is that the things I share on my page will encourage and inspire you to find God's purpose for your own everyday journey.
4 Comments
Alice Bolenbaugh
Beautiful post! We all yearned to be seen and more than just a name! Thank you!
Susan Davidson
We serve an amazing Heavenly Father! Thanks for commenting!
Susan
Stephanie
Absolutely LOVED this post! It makes me think back to raising my kids and telling them that when the world tries to label them they actually CAN’T because God already labeled them when they came to salvation in Christ. I’d instruct them to visualize the world’s words bouncing off of them and going elsewhere. I’d say those labels can’t stick to you as there is no room left after God labels you. Thank you for the encouragement today. I sure am thankful for my new name and new life in Christ! God bless you!
Susan Davidson
Thank you for sharing this! I’m also so thankful for my new life and a new name in Christ!
Susan