Looking intently at Simon, Jesus said, “Your name is Simon, son of John – but you will be called Rock” (which means “Peter”).
John 1:42
Everyone has a name. As soon as we’re born, we’re named and that name stays with us for life. Our name is what people use to address us; they call us by our name from that day forward. Everyone’s name has a specific meaning and we either accept that meaning or we don’t.
In today’s verse we discover that Jesus is into changing names. This is because our original name does not always take us to the place that God has planned for our future so He calls us by a different one. Simon meant, “hear and obey” which is a really great name but Jesus changed it to Peter, which meant rock. No one had been called “Rock” before but Jesus knew that this was what Simon would become in the future.
Simon’s life had been quite impulsive and unstable up to this point but when Jesus prophesied over him a new name ‘Peter” it would affect the course of his life from that point forward. We discover the fullness of its meaning in Matthew 16:18 when Jesus says that this is what He can build His church on. Simon had to go beyond the destiny of his original name to receive the fullness of what Jesus had called him to.
This week let’s allow God’s Word to rename us for our future. He wants to take us deeper into our destiny than our current name allows. Let’s not allow our comfort zone of familiarity to restrain us any longer. Rather let’s allow our new name to direct & draw us into the great future God has planned. We’ll be so glad we did!
