Speaking a person’s name builds intimacy with that person.
Ladies, when receiving a letter from a male we fancy, do we not always love it when he starts out the letter Dear or Dearest Kristen, (fill in your name). But then don’t we almost melt out of our chairs, when later in the letter he uses our name again?!
What is it about hearing our name spoken that causes us to feel loved, cherished, important to the person speaking it?
What about hearing your name spoken to you from the mouth of the Creator of the Universe?! Do you know that God has a name for you? And it may not be Peter, Paul or Nancy. . .
But to one man it actually was. In Matthew 16 we eaves drop on a Conversation Jesus is having with Simon Bar-Jonah.
He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah!
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you,
but the Father who is in heaven.
And I tell you, you are Peter,
and on this rock I will build my church,
and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven,
and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
What happened in Peter’s life at that moment? Jesus gave him a new name- Peter; a new identity- no longer the double-minded, faltering, loud-mouth that denied Christ three times- a solid rock; a new authority- you hold the keys to the kingdom, my church will be built upon you, hell will not prevail against you.
In God’s eyes, Name is Character and Authority. When God bestows a new name on someone he bestows a new character and a new authority.
He did this with several people in the Bible, not just Peter.
I believe the Lord has a prophetic destiny for each one of us. Abraham’s was to be the Father of many nations. Sarah’s was to be the first mother of the Divine blood line. Jacob’s was to Father the 12 tribes of Israel. Paul’s was to take the Gospel to the Gentiles. James and Johns’ were to be heralds of the Kingdom of God. Each one began walking in their God-anointed destiny after receiving a new name, a new identity, a new authority; not just new, but after receiving their TRUE name, their TRUE identity, their TRUE authority that God had designed for them since the beginning of time.
Have you ever asked God what your true name is?!
I have. I will tell you that story next time.
