What’s in a name?
Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. ~ Genesis 17:3 – 5
Names are important, but when God renames someone in the Biblical story, we should pay very close attention. Abram (“exalted father”) is renamed Abraham (“father of many”). Jacob (“to supplant”) is renamed Israel (“he who struggles with God”), and Simon (“to hear”) is renamed Peter (“rock”) by Jesus.
What do these instances have in common? God renames each of them after a period of struggle and a demonstration of faith.
Abram had been waiting over 10 years for God to fulfill his promise to give him a son with Sarah (and would wait over 10 additional years before Isaac is born). His faith lapsed on more than one occasion, yet when God told him he would be the father of many nations he “believed the LORD, and it was credited to him as righteousness”. Only afterwards is he renamed Abraham.
Jacob, fearing for his life as he faced the wrath of his brother Esau, wrestled with an angel and would not let him go until God blessed him, and becomes Israel.
Simon, bewildered by Jesus’ predictions of his impending death, declares that he is the “Messiah, the Son of the living God”. And he becomes Peter.
Does God have a new name for you? Yes! In Revelations 2 we are told that “God will give a new name to those who overcome”. How do Christians overcome and get this new name? We overcome by our faith in the “blood of the Lamb, and the word of our testimony”. (Revelation 12:11)
Abraham, Isaac, and Peter all struggled. They lied, they deceived, they stole, and they betrayed. Yet God didn’t give up on them! And no matter what struggles you and your family may face today, God won’t give up on you either. Often, it’s through the struggle that our faith takes roots and grows, even if just a small seed.
In Christ you have already been adopted into the family of God, and one day you will receive a new name that will mark you for all eternity as one of God’s known and beloved children. Yes, the struggles are real, but so is the One who promised never to leave or forsake us.