Thankful Thirty – Your Name… Unique, Beautiful, and Precious
My parents named me – Deborah Ruth Samuel.
I know . . . you can’t get any more Old Testament than that. The Jewish side of the family was thrilled. Quite certain I would leave Christianity and return to the true faith.
Of course, their hopes were dashed when I married a Protestant pastor.
I’m thankful, I like my name. Do you know someone who doesn’t like their name?
Whether you like your name or not . . . it’s yours. And God knows it.
Your name is written on His heart. On the palm of His nail-scarred hands.
See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands. Isaiah 49:16
You are precious to Him.
He knows everything about you. He knows your sin but calls you tenderly by name. He knows your hurts and collects every tear. He knows your fears and numbers each hair.
He loves you. Your name. Unique beautiful and precious to Him.
Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.
When you go through deep waters,
I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you.
For I am the Lord, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. Isaiah 43:1–3
“You weren’t an accident. You weren’t mass produced. You aren’t an assembly line product. You were deliberately planned, specifically gifted, and lovingly positioned on the earth by the Master Craftsman.”
~Max Lucado
You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. Psalm 139:16
“If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning… Face it, friend. He is crazy about you! ”
~Max Lucado
“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. John 15:9
God is whispering to you. Those are His arms you feel. Trust him. That is His voice you hear. Believe Him.”
~Max Lucado
“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. Jeremiah 17:7
Father, I look at a sea of people at marvel at Your personal love. You saw my beginning and my daily growth. You know everything about me. My good and my not even close. Because of Jesus You call me precious. Tell me I’m loved. You carried my sin to the cross, imprinted my name on Your hands, and written it in Your book of life. I am blessed. I am thankful. I love You! I praise You. In and through Jesus. Amen.
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I am one who is not crazy about his name. I don’t mind “Bill” but I don’t like William and I don’t like my middle name at all (it shall remain anonymous lest anyone blackmail me). My name means “Conqueror.” I can go along with that and like it.
Rev won’t tell anyone his middle name either, and as a Reformation baby his mother could have named him Luther or even Martin. Ah well, my lips are sealed! I like the meaning of William. I’d go with that too!
I love your Biblical names, Deb!
And it’s so wonderful that God knows us by name, close up and personal, and loves us as a parent loves a child.
Blessings!
Thank you Martha! It’s hard for our limited thoughts to understand our huge awesome God as One who loves and knows every little thing about us. So blessed to know and love our perfect parent.
Deb,
I love your names; there’s something special with biblical names. I’m fine with my names; however, I did go through a time when I didn’t like them. The jokes about my last name can get a bit old.
Blessings!
Thanks Kim. I’ve gone by Deb, Debbie, Deborah, and a variety of nicknames I’d prefer to keep to myself. 🙂 I get the last name jokes. The kids used to love howling at Mrs. Wolf – during my teaching days. So fun!