No longer shall your name be called Abram, But your name shall be Abraham; For I have made you…
Genesis 17:5
Our name is what we’re known & recognized by. Growing up we hear, “That’s just like Sally” or “There goes Johnny the mechanic”. Our name becomes a reflection of what we’ve done & who we were. People will greet us, refer to us and get our attention simply by using our name. Even when we alter what we do our name remains.
In today’s verse we see God changing a name, Abram to Abraham. No longer was Abraham to be referred to in the old way. We’re told that God had made him into something new. His new name reflects God’s promises & his future rather than Abram’s dysfunction & past.
2 Corinthians 5:17 says when we’re born-again old things pass away and all things become new” All things include our name. The old meaning of our name is dead and a new meaning has begun. No longer does our name reflect our past failures & defeats. No longer does it label us with what we did or did not do. Our name now reflects & labels us with the promises God has made us. He’s made us victorious [Romans 8:37], He’s given us future and hope [Jeremiah 29:11] and we are blessed [Ephesians 1:3].
This week lets release the old meaning of our name and pick up the new. Let’s walk with our head held high as the child of God we are. Let’s be known & recognized by the promises God has spoken over us. Our name may sound the same but what it reflects is what God has made us rather than what our past has branded us.