How Jeremiah got his Name

Like many women who have experienced multiple pregnancies, I knew I was expecting a couple of days before I actually took a test. I woke up very early one morning, and thinking of our last child who didn't make it prayed, "Oh Lord, how is this all going to work out?"  This rarely happens to me, but God responded immediately in my mind with the phrase, "For My glory."  As I contemplated those words, peace washed over me with the reminder that this pregnancy is not about me, no matter what happens.

My husband and I recognized this was a significant moment and made a point to remember it.  One way we chose to do that was to ask the Lord for a name for this child that goes along w/ that phrase, or even just the word 'glory.'  Girl names were obvious,  but none of them really seemed to feel quite right.  Boy names were all just very odd sounding in a, 'What were you on when you named this child?' kind of way.  That was until we stumbled on the name Jeremiah, and the suggestion that it's meaning - honor - is similar  to the word glory.  That seemed to fit so we agreed to keep it on the back burner for a while.

Well, just a few days later, the Holy Spirit strongly prompted me to turn to the book of Jeremiah in the Bible.  Note: I was not thinking about baby names at the time, just felt very impressed upon to look there.  I did, and this is what my eyes fell upon as I glanced down the page in the first chapter:

Jeremiah 1:5a

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart;

It was then that I realized the name of the book of the Bible I was reading from (duh!). I showed my husband and we agreed, it seemed as if God was saying to us, "This child is a boy, and Jeremiah is his name."  Although I admit I questioned the experience many times after, overall I thought, how can I argue with something so clear?  So just a couple of weeks into the pregnancy, I felt like Mary, Elizabeth, Sarah, or Hannah in the Bible.  I guess if he told them early on, he can tell me right?  I have not shared the story much until now, but I have held onto it with great hope, comfort, and encouragement from the Lord throughout these first 21 weeks. As many of you reading this likely know by now, we just found out 'officially' that we are expecting a boy!  Imagine my awe, yet lack of surprise, at the technician's proclamation of the sex. : )