Before I showed up to launch, my leadership team committed to calling me by my full name, Elizabeth. Not Zibby. Not Liz. Not Gracey. Elizabeth.
This past month, I’ve been learning a lot about the meaning of names and the power that they hold. The name that I’ve been called all my life is actually a bold declaration of who I am. There’s power in the fullness of things and there’s power in claiming that identity.
Elizabeth: consecrated to God; oath of God; set apart for God
In the Bible, Elizabeth was a woman who boldly proclaimed the promises of the Lord before they even came to pass.
In Luke 1:45, Elizabeth says, “Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
That is the legacy of who Elizabeth is portrayed as in the Bible. She’s portrayed as a woman full of faith, a woman that holds firmly to the Lord, even when she doesn’t know where the provision is going to come from.
Elizabeth proclaims fullness. She proclaims freedom. She proclaims trust beyond understanding. She proclaims steadfastness in the way that she lives her life. She proclaims the goodness of the Lord. Not because of the things He has given her, but because of His character.
That’s me. That’s Elizabeth. Not just Elizabeth in the Bible, but Elizabeth Grace Friend. Every time someone calls my name, they’re proclaiming these beautiful things over me.
It may not be things that I’m walking in right now, but they’re things that have been proclaimed over me millions of time in the past. The things that I WILL walk in to because I believe that the Lord doesn’t make mistakes in the names that He gives people. Throughout the Old Testament, the Lord intentionally names people based on messages that He wants to communicate through them. For some, it’s beautiful, poetic names that prophecy happiness and a fullness of love. For others, like in Hosea 1, it’s used more as a warning for people groups proclaiming things like “not loved” and “not my people”. Boy, am I glad that the Lord chose to use my name as such a beautiful prophecy.
I would encourage you to look into the meaning of your name and see what the Lord is trying to speak to you through it. See what the Lord has been proclaiming over you your whole life! & let me know!! I would love to hear!!
