YABS-16: What Do YOU Call Yourself?
READ IT ALOUD: And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by that name (Luke 1:61).
PONDER IT PRAYERFULLY: Quick – grab a clean sheet of paper and a working pen.
Ready? Alright. For today’s devotion, I would like you to write down five words that come to your mind when you think about yourself. If more than five come to mind, make it ten. Be honest with yourself. What do you call yourself? Whatever it is, write it down.
You may refer to that piece of paper during the week to see if you have been accurate. And if you have been inaccurate, then this week will be the last time you call yourself something that you are not. Don’t get too attached to that paper.
Where does my identity come from? My parents? My friends? Myself? How can I know for sure where I am going? Does that matter? Can I live a sensible life if I have mistaken my identity for years? Can I know where I am going if I don’t really know where I come from?
God is a name-changer. When Elizabeth gave birth to her son in Luke chapter 1, she knew that the angel had told her husband to name the baby John. But the people around her said, “What kind of name is that? No one from your family is called John.” Elizabeth remained firm. Zechariah, who could not speak at the time, wrote down that he was in agreement with her – the baby’s name would be John.
Sometimes people judge others by the things in their past. “How can she be a successful student? There is nobody in her family who did well in school.” Human nature expects that if the parent is a thief, the child shall be a thief. If the parent is successful, everybody is shocked if the child does not follow in these footsteps. In other words, if the father’s name is Zechariah, the child must automatically be Zechariah, or at least named after a member of Zechariah’s family. Why else would “Like father, like son” be such a common term? Jesus Himself was judged by this standard. Twice in the book of John we see people ask, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46; John 7:52.)
But God named us before the foundations of the earth, not as other people would see us, but as who He has called us to be. Before Elizabeth was ever pregnant, the angel Gabriel said, thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John (Luke 1:13).
Before Jacob ever wrestled with God at Penuel (Genesis 32:24-32), even while Jacob walked around as a supplanter, God knew that he would be known as Israel. Before God formed Jeremiah in the womb, He knew him (Jeremiah 1:5).
Look at the words you have written down, and think about them. Do they really depict your true identity? Is that really who you are? Hold on to that paper for the next few days.
May the Lord God of Jacob speak to you this week and reveal Himself to you in unprecedented ways, in Jesus’ Name.
HIDE IT IN YOUR HEART (PSALM 119:11): What is thy name? (Genesis 32:27.)
PRAY IT PERSONALLY: Father in heaven, I thank You because You order my steps. I praise You for yet another blessed Sunday – a brand new mercy; a beautiful day that You have created for us to rejoice in. I thank You because Your desire is to reveal Yourself to Your children. Help me to seek You this week. Help me to understand what You are telling me. Give me ears to hear. Open the eyes of my understanding. Speak to me in Your word, and let me forever glorify You in my life. Let Your name be glorified in the isles of the sea according to Your word, in Jesus’ mighty Name I pray. Amen.
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