Before the arrival of our firstborn son, we took almost as much time deciding what we would name him as we did preparing the nursery.  Why?  Because it’s permanent, for life.  We wanted him to have a name that would distinguish him from others and one that he could be proud of.

Not so for some of the worst names given to babies last year.  With names like Boomquifa, Manson, Cletus, Phelony, Luna and Pansy one must wonder…What were you thinking?

We see the significance of a “name” woven throughout the Bible, with an extra emphasis in Old Testament Hebrew culture. The first human we meet, Adam, was given a name that means “ground”.  Abraham’s given name meant “father of many.”  David means “beloved”; Esau means “hairy”; Isaiah means “Jehovah has saved”; and Hosea means “Deliverer”.

In my study this year, one name has stood out to me among them all.  It is the only name that God gave Himself: I AM.  The Hebrew name Yahweh, and its subsequent transliteration into English, Jehovah, means “to exist, be.”  When Moses met God face to face at the burning bush, He told Moses, “I Am That I Am: and he said, thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you.” (Exodus 3:14) God uses this name for Himself roughly 6,500 times in the Old Testament…so I’m guessing that this distinguishes Him from others.  In its simplest form we see that God is the fulfillment to our deepest needs.  He is the source and supply for our security, courage, strength, and our deepest need of salvation.  Simply put: God is enough!

What has stood out to me the most, particularly this time of year, is that Jesus also took that name for Himself.  To those who are hungry and destitute He said, “I am the bread of life.”  To those walking in darkness, He shouts “I am the light of the world.”  To the vagabond, looking for answers in all the wrong places, He proclaims, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved,”.  To those who have gone astray, he lovingly mentions, “I am the good shepherd.”  To those confused about life after death, He assures them that “I am the resurrection and the life.”  To the lost He is the “way” …to those seeking for meaning He is the “truth” …and, for those afraid of dying He is “the life”.

My goal this Christmas is that I would revel in the fact that Jesus is enough!  Despite my troubling circumstances and the fiery darts that the enemy keeps hurling at my family…Jesus is enough!  Even though we are still navigating a worldwide pandemic…Jesus is enough!  In my wondering, or wandering, my questions or doubts…. Jesus is enough!  May the GREAT I AM be enough for you and your family this Christmas and for the New Year to come.