What Is Your Name?

In the middle of the wrestling, God asks Jacob a question: “What is your name?” (see Genesis 32:27) https://www.bible.com/bible/111/GEN.32.27-28.NIV 

Isn’t that an interesting question? The answer seems obvious. God already knows!

But this isn’t about information—it’s about confession.

God wants Jacob to say it out loud because of the meaning attached to a simple name.

“Jacob.” That is the right answer, and this is what comes with it. This is the attached meaning: Deceiver. Manipulator. Supplanter.

There is something powerful about naming the truth. That is why the Bible says:

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9, NIV) https://www.bible.com/bible/111/1JN.1.9.NIV

Before God gives a new name, He invites honesty about the old one.

I’ve had to do that. Not pretend. Not minimize. Not excuse. Not pretend that I haven’t made those broken names my own.

Can I invite you to own the negative names you have attached to yourself? Just say it: “God, this is who I’ve been.”

That moment isn’t about shame, but about freedom. Because what stays hidden stays powerful. But what is brought into the light begins to lose its grip!

Today, I want to invite you to do something simple, but not easy:

Name it. Broken. Lost. Worthless. Abandoned. Unworthy. Mistake. Beyond salvage.

Say the thing you’ve been avoiding, and acknowledge the identity you’ve been living under.

And then, place it in God’s hands.

Because He will not leave you there. He has a brand new name for you: My child. Dearly loved. Adopted kid of the King! He will never leave you in a confessed reality.

He never does. Instead, He will craft a whole new identity. That’s all He has wanted since the beginning. Let’s pray together:

“God, here is the truth about me. These are the names I’ve been carrying, the things I’ve done, the ways I’ve fallen short. I bring them into the light today. Thank You for meeting me with grace instead of condemnation. I give them all to You and am open to the names You have for me. Dearly loved. Your child. Adopted kid of the King! Amen.”

Never forget, my friend,

You are a miracle!