"Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord." Luke 1:13a-15b
I absolutely love this message! The angel of the Lord told Zechariah that the prayer they had prayed for years had been heard. Their would finally be a "yes!" Elizabeth would have a son. In the Christmas story, angels came twice to foretell a birth: John and Jesus. Both times the angel told them what to name the baby. Both times the angel told them the purpose for their son.
The angel of the Lord cast a vision before this aged father of what God had in mind for his son:
- He would be a joy and a delight to his parents.
- His birth would cause many to rejoice.
- He would be great in the sight of the Lord.
Has God given you a vision for your child/children? Have you written it down? Are you pondering it in your heart? If not, I encourage you to spend some time in prayer asking God what secrets He might share with you about your child's future and purpose.
Did God give you your child/children's names? Do you know what they mean? If not, I would encourage you to look them up and see how it relates to God's purpose for them. You can find some good Baby Name Books right here.
Our oldest son is name Clayton Thomas. Bill, my husband, is a potter. He actually got his bachelor's in Fine Arts with an emphasis in pottery. I didn't even know that was a degree until I met him. He does beautiful work. We named Clayton because of the related meaning. It means "clay/in God's mold". Thomas means seeker of truth. His name both casts vision for him and reveals his biggest challenge. Clayton NEEDS to know the truth. He sometimes drives us crazy in his quest. We pray over him continually, that he will stay on the Potter's wheel and let God shape him into a worthy vessel.
Our second son, William Riley Gifford III, is named after his father and great grandfather. I met a little boy named Riley when I was single and determined then and there that I would have a boy named Riley some day. Imagine my surprise when I found out that it was Bill's middle name. Bill was born on his grandad's 80th birthday and given his name. Riley was born two days before and brought home on their shared birthday. William means "brave protector." Riley means "strong and courageous/watchful," and the Gifford family motto on the coat of arms is "Death before dishonor." Wow! We really did him in. I had no idea. He is all of that. Riley has no fear. He never has had. It is almost scary, but God has a plan for it!
Ian is Celtic for John and means "God's gracious gift." Oh, wow, is he ever! Ian was born in the pit of my depression and has continually brought laughs. He is truly a gift. His middle name is Brandel - my maiden name. My dad is my spiritual hero. I have four brothers to carry on his full name with their kids, but I wanted Ian to bear the heritage of his Papa Dan.
Then there is Hayden. We were a bit exhausted when it came to naming him. We'd used up all of our good boy names. We were living in Arkansas at the time, dreaming of Idaho. We felt that God had cast a vision in front of us of ministering to hurting, tired ministers. We were excited, but really didn't see how that would ever happen in the midst of our current circumstances. My brother suggested we name him Hayden after the area in Idaho we now call home. I loved it, but I didn't know what it meant. As silly as it sounds, I just couldn't seem to get all my little brood to the bookstore 45 minutes away to look it up. You'll have to wait a day or two to hear the rest of the story of his name. wink. wink.
With the kids: After you've had a chance to ask God about all of this, try to have some one on one time with each of your kids and share with them what you feel God is saying about their life.
Memorizing: "He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord." Luke 1:14-15a
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