Wednesday, December 3, 2008

HE KNOWS HIS NAME - JUDAH

It was August 2007 when the Lord began nudging me in the area of praise. I was reading Worship Warrior by Chuck Pierce and in the book he talks about Judah (son of Jacob & Leah) his name means “praise Yaweh”. At the time we were at the tail end of a season of great struggle, but I sensed victory on the horizon. The Lord was teaching me that praise must preceed victory. I also sensed He was giving me the name for my next child. From Worship Warrior, page 14 Judah must go first. Praise must take it preeminence within our lives, churches, cities, states and nation. When Judah goes first, the scepter of authority is then in place for ultimate victory. This is a time that the Lion of Judah will roar louder than the lion that has sought to devour us! Over the last year I have learned to praise Him during the storm. “Worship causes us to move thankfully with our body toward our creator” – Worship Warrior, page 150 In July 2008 as I lay in bed the Lord began to speak to me about Judah. It was a conversation initiated by Him and I just listened and received. At the time I wish I had had the forethought to write down His words to me. That was also during the time that I was experiencing revival and the Lord was just showering me with His love and presence. A few days later I realized I was “late” and decided to take a pregnancy test. I was out of town, so I loaded up my three kids and went to Walgreens. I went into the bathroom and took the test which turned positive before I even stepped away. Again, it was a time of revival for me, but also a time of great difficulty in our home. I read more about Judah and the more I read the more I sobbed and the more I understood. The revelation and timing were breathtaking. The story of Jacob and Leah revealed more of the Lord’s love for me and the perfection of His timing. This baby became another real and tangible way God was expressing His love for me and the revelation of his name a greater, deeper and sweeter expression of that. From Worship Warrior, page 154 Leah, as we all know, was unloved. It was Rachel whom Jacob had wanted and had worked for. But Jacob was tricked into taking Leah instead. Not a good start for a relationship; but she tried hard as she could to gain Jacob’s affection. In those days, a high value was put on a woman who could produce children. God caused Leah to be fruitful, and she bore Jacob three sons, each time hoping to procure her husband’s love because of them, but to no avail. Finally she turned her heart toward the Lord. “She conceived again and bore a son and said, “This time I will praise the LORD.; Therefore she named him Judah” Gen. 29:35 NASB From Worship Warrior, Page 155 Unshakable praise plows through the hardest ground. God says in Hosea 10:11, “Judah will plow.” When the ground is hard, when the circumstances are adverse, God’s favor is on the one who will lead off with praise.

She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, "This time I will praise the LORD." So she named him Judah. Genesis 29:35

7 comments:

Mari said...

I've read this story in the Bible but never thought about that aspect of it. Very interesting! Thanks for sharing another baby name story!

Jamie {See Jamie blog} said...

Beautiful.

Mrs.Naz@BecomingMe said...

Wow---I never thought of it in this way before...so beautiful!!

Brooke Hammel said...

yay Judah!

Joy Junktion said...

God is doing a great work in you AND your family.
I continue to pray!
Judah is a real cutie.

AtlantaMama said...

JUDAH! A living praise to God.

I feel like we are on the tail end of our struggle and I want to learn more about praise coming before victory. Very interesting point.

I love the name story!! (we gotta write out book)

Anonymous said...

This is beautiful, Mari. I know about Jacob and Leah but the way that God revealed this special meaning to you and gave you your son's name--simply beautiful. A couple of words popped out at me as I read this--revival, praise, worship warrior, and definitely, "Unshakable praise plows through the hardest ground." I must read this book--Worship Warrior.

Thank you for letting me know about this post. I've been meaning to read it but wanted to do so uninterrupted and in God's timing. Today is perfect.

Blessings to you sis. (Oh, so you're half Cuban huh? No lo puedo creer. (I cannot believe it.) Yep, twins after all. Both of my parents are Cuban. I was raised in the US but definitely have Cuban roots. So I will take you up on that offer to stop by your place for Noche Buena. =D

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