Isaiah 65:17-21
John 4:43-54
Naming a child carries such significance. In biblical times the naming of a child could serve as a way of remembering a significant event. The name Moses comes from the root verb ‘to draw’ or ‘pull out’, because he was drawn out of the River Nile. His name would always be a reminder of God’s providence.
Today’s passage from Isaiah imagines God naming Jerusalem and her people. The names ‘Joy’ and ‘Gladness’ carry such huge potential and all the more so because Jerusalem has suffered destruction and her people exile. It’s as if God sees what they can’t. This promise of restoration and new life speaks directly to the despondency the Israelites feel as they find themselves in exile.
Can you imagine a name that God might give you?