Names are Prophetically Significant

This past weekend Aneta and I were able to visit Frederick, Maryland in order to have some quality time together before the baby comes in November. The past few months I’ve been seeking the Lord for the name that is in God’s heart for our little girl. As I’ve prayed, I’ve sensed in my heart that there is a strong prophetic calling upon this little one—therefore, I tried to discern a name that would prophetically frame her calling in the Lord. It had to be something that would represent what God has in His heart for her to pursue and walk in.

Names are significant. It shouldn’t be taken lightly. In an excellent Breakpoint article, Hello, My Name is ESPN, Chuck Colson writes, “In Scripture, a person’s name was often intimately linked with what God planned to do with is or her life. For example, at the command of the Archangel Gabriel, our Lord was named Jesus, which means ‘God will save us.’”

Both Aneta and I took to heart the responsibility of seeking God’s face for the name that He would have us give to our firstborn. Hence, we spent considerable time praying and mulling over possibilities that we felt were reflective of a prophetic calling. We desired to find a name that would be special to her and remind her of her unique calling from the Lord. Hence, we have settled on a name that we believe the Lord would have us name our little girl—Simone Beth’el Hume.

Let me explain.

Simone in Hebrew means one who hears. Beth’el comes from the Hebrew word that we normally write as Bethel—however, we want the pronunciation to be slightly different. The word Bethel comes from the story of Jacob in Genesis 28:10-17:

“Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran. When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. There above it stood the LORD, and he said: ‘I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.’ When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, ‘Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.’ He was afraid and said, ‘How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.’”

Bethel is Hebrew for house of God. It was in this place where Jacob received revelation concerning the God of his forefathers, Abraham and Isaac. Jacob encounters the Lord in a powerful way in this passage. There was such awe brimming in his heart that he exclaims, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it…How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.” Bethel is a place of revelation.

Hence, the name Simone Beth’el has the following implications: She will be one who hears in the place of revelation. Implicit in the concept of revelation is that it is the revelation of Christ/Father God himself, as insinuated in Ephesians 1:17—I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, will give you the Spirit of wisdom of revelation so that you may know him better.

In closing, I want to write a simple prayer for my daughter.

Father, I thank you for entrusting to us this little one. Thank you for watching over her as she is formed in the womb. I declare this day that you have named her Simone Beth’el Hume. She will be one who hears in the place of revelation. She will rise up as a prophetic voice to the nations. Father, in the years to come, may Simone Beth'el be even in her early years, one who, like Samual of old, lingers near the Ark of your Presence. Open her eyes even at a young age to the reality of Christ Jesus. Draw her heart to Him in a way that changes the course of her life. Enable Aneta and I to prepare her for the prophetic calling that is upon her life. In all, may You be glorified through the life of Simone Beth'el Hume. In Jesus' name. Amen.