What’s In a Name?

“I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.” Gen. 12:2

YA’LL!! A word just kicked me in my THOAK!! ( Yeah..it was said, fight me) I’m here writing my book..(Yes….book..I said that too!) and listening to my anthem for the year, “I’m all in” by Miranda Curtis, if you haven’t heard it, you have to!” I listened to the song on YouTube and of course, the official music video pops up and I decide to watch it. The premise of the video is that Miranda is rehearsing the song with her band, but she feels a choir is needed. Her band doesn’t disagree but thinks it’s too short notice to get an entire choir. She picks up her phone to use the power of social media and types: ” Miranda Curtis needs a Choir…” and just like that people are filling the choir stands. Yes, this is a music video and while it seems unrealistic to a degree to fill a choir stand in less than 5 minutes. It does yield a realistic possibility, especially using social media. The part that assaulted my body, was the fact she used her own name.

For those of us who are familiar with the talented, anointed voice of Miranda Curtis, we understand she’s huge in the gospel world and so her name proceeds her. It wasn’t enough that she was using her own social media accounts to post a request, but to place her name with her request says a lot! Why don’t we do that? I get it, we’re not as well-known to the world as Miranda is or the next celebrity but the same God who knows them knows us as well!

This reminds me of the story of Moses who, we know would become one of the greatest leaders of the Israelites. Before he reached that status, he was an identity confused, middle-aged, murder in hiding when God spoke to him in the burning bush (Genesis 3). In short, the conversation was a back and forth between God and Moses. God giving Moses instructions and Moses responding with his disqualifications. Sounds familiar, yep, me too. When Moses asks God, “who am I to go to the pharaoh or to lead the people out of Egypt?” God told him “I’ll be with you.” When Moses asked, “who shall I say sent me?” God answers with the infamous “I AM THAT I AM” response that still sends chills up my spine. He tells Moses to tell the Israelites that “I AM has sent me to you.”

After looking at the music video and then reading this passage, it really had me thinking, “What’s in the power of a name?” We understand the power of Jesus’ name, but what about our name? Our local name, our name that some can’t even pronounce or spell, our name that doesn’t have an actual meaning because our family invented it because they liked the sound of it. Your name has the unbelievable power to attract and attach greatness, why? Because you’re connected to Christ. His name is the only name you need! Your name is attached to an amazing person with multiple talents and gifting. Yes, this may seem a little Christian corny lol, however, let’s really look at it. If Moses did all of this without God’s name, he’d be incredibly out of order, without the presence of God and all of the things God promised with Moses’s obedience wouldn’t have happened. Moses’s name wouldn’t hold much weight at all without the permission of God for his assignment.

We need to realize as God’s people, that whatever we need God is, which is why His name: I AM THAT I AM is so pivotal! We are only because He is! God is literally the peace we need in chaos, the healing we need in sickness, the direction we need in confusion. LITERALLY! We don’t need to be infamous to be successful, we don’t need to have millions to have people respond to what we need, the same way Miranda got exactly what she needed to fulfill her vision! Trying to make ourselves famous to get respect and provision, when God already promised to make our name great by being obedient.

I AM THAT I AM knows you, you’re infamous in His heart already. All it takes is your obedience to Him, your “I’m all in” attitude and His blessing. Have faith in your name before it becomes familiar with other people. Believe in the power of your name under the greatness of His