Back in the day, the gender of the baby used to be a surprise till the day of birth. Since no angel announced my brothers’ arrival to my parents, my dad strongly believed that his first born would be a little baby girl called Natasha (which is Naty in Russian). Since Vali was funny and curly, he was a keeper.
Second time round, my dad strongly believed his baby girl Natasha will finally show up in this world. Not this time either. Once again, they were not disappointed, Pavel’s fine looks and sweetness won their hearts.
As my mom was expecting the third time, my dad, a man of faith I tell you, believed this was gonna be his little girl Natasha. And so it was. (I tried not too keep my dad waiting any longer.)
No pressure for me, but I had a lot to compete with by the time I arrived: they had a funny kid, a good-looking one, so I was left with no choice but to come out… just cute. (So not the point of the story!)
My dad was set on my name way before I was even born. Natasha is Russian for Natalia (Naty for short). It comes from late Latin Natale Domini, which means Christmas Day, or others translate it ‘Joyous Celebration’.
I seriously doubt my dad was trying to predict the purpose of my existence in this world. He simply liked the name of the only kind nurse attending to my mom when expecting my brother # 1.
Names are so important in the Bible. They have a purposeful meaning: Abraham means ‘father of many’, David means ‘beloved’, Peter ‘stone’, Joseph ‘may Jehovah add/ increase’, Mary “sea of bitterness” / ‘beloved’.
Why did Jesus get so many names? Just to name a few examples:
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel (God with us).” Isaiah 7:14
“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21
“When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born.” Matthew 2:4
“…and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 1:4
He’s got all the names to remind us that He supplies all our needs, in all circumstances, and aspects of our life. He’s not a God with multi-personality disorder. We are the ones dealing with lots of ‘disorders’ in our life, and He is the Only One cleaning our mess and filling the gaps where we lack.
When fear sneaks in, Jehovah Shalom casts it out with peace
When worry webs my mind, Jehovah Jireh reminds me that He will provide
When pride rushes me toward the pitfall, Jehovah Raah (my shepherd) humbly stops me to raise me in His time
When my body’s too weak and unreliable, Jehovah Rapha (my healer) provides the sufficient strength
When my white knuckled grip turns me into a control freak, El Shaddai, the Lord God Almighty releases me to freedom
When I do what I don’t want to, but what I hate I do, Addonai, my Lord and Master is there to give me victory in my struggles
Let us be reminded again this Christmas Season of Who Christ is for us. Immanuel, God with us, is in us, with us, for us as long as we let Him.
Do we allow El Elyon, the Most High God, to move around in each nook and cranny of the heart? Or, do we still offer Him the stable because it’s too crowded, just like Bethlehem was over two thousand years ago. Only a world unprepared for his coming allowed that to happen.
Today we romanticise and commercialise the stable. It was and is no place for a King.
We need to kick out idols of the heart, busyness of daily life, frustrations we deal with from all the compartments of the heart. Make room and bring Jesus out of the stable!
As Benjamin Franklin said many years ago“How many observe Christ’s birthday! How few, His precepts!”
Let’s focus on who Christ is for us on a daily basis, and let’s ponder on His precepts.
Meditate: Isaiah 9:6
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”