Naming and Claiming Jesus

“No one is like you, Lord; you are great, and your name is mighty in power.” – Jeremiah 10:6 NIV

photo: Raye Wortel

I remember the first time I put a name to Jesus.

It was during a church service my husband and I attended when we lived in Georgia. Everyone was invited to come to the front of the sanctuary where large pieces of canvas hung from the walls. We were asked to write one name on the canvas that represented the sum of who Jesus was to us at that moment.

One by one we filed forward. Some were certain – even anxious, to get their Jesus name written down. Others hesitated. Unsure. Maybe they thought their chosen name wasn’t good enough. Maybe writing it down would expose their private pain, or maybe they didn’t yet know what Jesus meant to them, and they secretly hoped an idea would arrive by the time it was their turn with the pen.

Some wrote Savior, some Forgiver, Redeemer or Comforter. Some wrote in big, bold letters for all to see. Some tucked their name along the edge in tiny letters, not quite willing to have it on full display.

How and why it was written didn’t matter. Each name meant something – perhaps everything, to the one who etched it on the fabric. A name likely born from the dark depths of need where struggle and pain leave one course of action … to beg Jesus to come and Be.

Jesus, be my …

It happens when we come to the end of ourselves and realize we make a lousy savior.

It happens when we give in to holy surrender and God gets to do what only he can do.

Then, when the fog lifts and our heart lightens, we see his faithfulness and all of a sudden we cling to that name with all we’ve got.

Thank you, Jesus! Thank you for being my …

Then, for a time, our name is visible everywhere. Every morsel of life shouts how Jesus is … our Armor, our Father, our Friend.

But time eventually has it’s way, and we forget our Jesus name. We forget the name we claimed, the one that rose us up with power and changed everything.

And before we know it, storms return and we start to flounder. Our crisis makes us forgetful. Forgetful that Jesus is ready to BE for us again.

By the way, the name I wrote on the canvas was Freedom-Maker. Why? Well, that’s a story I’ll share another day. But I will say it’s a name that hasn’t changed over the years. Sure, I’ve added a few new ones, but Freedom-Maker is the core of who he is for me.

He is the Maker of my freedom in ways I’ve never dreamed. He has set me free with his power and made me free with his grace, and I will work to claim that name as long as my memory doesn’t fail me.

What name do you have for Jesus? Have you’ve never thought of one? If not, but you’d like to explore some possibilities, then download our 40 Great Names of God sheet and claim one today!