Letting Go Of Your Labels

“You will be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will bestow.” -Isaiah 62:2

Marriage is a metaphor often used in the Bible to describe God’s love for his people. In Isaiah, we see it as a word picture depicting the Lord as a bridegroom and rejoicing over his people as his bride. It is a deeply personal metaphor that is used in such a way as to express the infinite value of salvation and eternal life.

In the book of Isaiah, he prophesied about the destruction of Jerusalem, the people’s exile to another land, and (later) their restoration. The promise of salvation is pictured this way in verse 5: “No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah (‘My Delight is in her’), and your land Beulah (‘Married’).” And, “As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.”

As we continue in our Living Together in Harmony series, we will be studying how we can let go of our labels and the names given to us by ourselves and others. How many of us carry around the wounds and the scars of what people have said about us? How many of us believe the lie that all we ever will be are these labels?

Instead, we will find how we can live in the new name God has given us. When we are joined together in Christ, we are given a new name and a new identity. We are children of God. We are heirs of the promise and co-heirs with Christ. We have an eternal inheritance. As such, we can see ourselves differently.