TOPIC: How Prophetic Is Your Name?
MEMORISE: And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Matthew 1:21
READ: Exodus 2:5-10
And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river’s side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it.
And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews’. children.
Then said his sister to Pharaoh’s daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?
And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child’s mother.
And Pharaoh’s daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it.
And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.
MESSAGE:
My mother once told me that she initially intended to name me Elisha, but she forgot the name on her way to see the priest, and so she named me Enoch. I told her that I like both names and took on both: Elisha (the man with the double portion of the anointing on Elijah) and Enoch (the man who walked with God). Today, by God’s grace, the essence of my names is being fulfilled.
The name a fellow bears is very important because it is sometimes an indication of the experiences he or she may encounter in life. For example, Moses’ name meant ‘drawn from water’. No wonder he had recurring experiences with water in his life. He turned water into blood (Exodus 7:19-20), parted the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21-22), and turned bitter water into sweet water (Exodus 15:24-25). In fact, what denied him access to the Promised Land was water-related (Numbers 20:7-12). Another example is Jabez; his name meant sorrow or ‘born out of pain’. Until he called on God for a change in his situation, he experienced difficulties (1 Chronicles 4:9-10). You need to be sure of the meaning of the name you are called so that you do not encounter avoidable difficulties later in future.
REFLECTION:
What is the meaning of your name?
HYMN 7: I Am Thine O Lord.
I am Thine, O Lord
I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith
And be closer drawn to Thee.
Chorus:
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died.
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessd Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
By the power of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine.
Oh the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend,
When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God
I commune as friend with friend!
There are depths of love
that I cannot know
Till I cross the narrow sea;
There are heights of joy
that I may not reach
Till I rest in peace with Thee.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ezekiel 37:1-38:23, James 1:19-2:17
AUTHORS: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE AND PASTOR FOLU ADEBOYE