What's in a Name?

What’s in a Name?
By Connor McDaniel

Have you ever tried to figure out what your name means? Or have you ever asked your parents why they chose your particular name? You may have even wondered where you got your last name. Names are the most common and arguably most important identifying aspects of a person.

There’s two amazing things about names when it comes to God. First, He actually has one. I’ll admit, it was a long time before I learned that God had a name, but believe it or not you see it a lot in the Bible. Wherever in the Old Testament you see “LORD” written in all capital letters, or the name “Jehovah”, depending on the translation, that is God being called by name. In the original Hebrew, God’s name is written “YHWH”, and was never pronounced by the Jews for fear of using it vainly. Knowing that you’re reading God’s name, now you can learn a little more about Him whenever you see and realize you’re seeing a bit of God’s personality. 

The next thing is that God knows YOUR name! Think about that. I’m terrible with names (and I’m sure some of you remember me calling you the wrong name when I got here). Now think about how many names God knows. 7 billion people are alive right now alone, and He still knows me and you! Look at Isaiah 43:1- “But now thus says the LORD, He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine.” See that “LORD”? God has called us by name, which means He specifically wants me and you. And I think belonging to God is something pretty remarkable.