No Longer Forsaken

What is the power of a name? If we think of objects or anything in the world besides people, the name of an object is what gives it its identity. We know a door is a door because a door in our language means a door (say that ten times!). God specifically wanted things on the earth to have names. Adam named the animals in the Garden of Eden. It's a part of His plan that names are a part of our lives. Names give identity and understanding to what we are talking about.

In Isaiah 62:2-4 it states, "...you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will bestow. You will be a crown of splendor in the Lord's hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God. No longer will they call you Deserted or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah and your land Beulah, for the Lord God will take delight in you..."The Lord has a name for every one of us. He has an identity for us that is different than the identity we carry here on the earth. It is the identity that we were created to have. The verse goes on to explain just what this name means. It says you will be called a crown of splendor in the Lord's hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God. You will be something of value, something that is wanted and desired after. When we want to keep something safe and protected, we hold it close, often in our hands. The Lord not only desires us, but holds us in His hands, a picture of how He won't let go of us because we are so valued by Him. We are a crown of splendor...we are royalty in the Lord's eyes. An important key to really understanding this is that the LORD is the one who speaks these things over our lives. We may or may not ever feel this kind of love from earthly relationships, but the promise is that God really does feel this way about us. This is our true identity before God. Many of us stand before God in condemnation and shame when God is wanting to speak our true identity into our hearts.

What is the name that God wants to free us from? This verse describes the name, or identity, that we often get stuck in. It is a lie that the Lord wants to break over our hearts. It describes this identity as, "No longer will they call you Deserted or name your land Desolate." In another version it says "forsaken." Someone who feels forsaken feels unvaluable, unloved, and not wanted. If they were wanted, someone would care, someone would come, someone would respond. They feel alone, unseen, lost. They go through the day to day routine of life and they are left feeling empty, alone, and not sure of what is ahead. They don't feel secure with who they are or where they are going because they are filled with disappointments from other people and are often disappointed in whom they themselves have become. No one cares. No one sees. No one notices. They are deserted and desolate.

So what is the actual name this verse says the Lord speaks over us instead? It says, "But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Buelah, for the Lord God will take great delight in you." Hephzibah means "my delight is in you" and Buelah means "married." Someone who is married has been pursued and wanted -- they have been sought out. The fact is that God is pursuing our hearts. He is the great pursuer. You are being sought out by God Himself and He delights in you. Our identity is that we are loved by God, wanted by Him, and the very priceless possession He holds in His hands. Anything other than that is a false identity that can only be broken by our minds being renewed by what they Word says about us. We are truly loved by Him.