First off, naming a child is hard! It is so important and well, they are stuck with it! Taylor and I both knew that we wanted our daughter's name to mean something. We both believe in the power of speaking the Truth of God and the identity that we now have because of His sacrifice into the life of a person. As we were on the hunt we knew we wanted something unique but not something really out there. We began researching Hebrew words and their meanings. We came across two that we liked. One was Rinnah, pronounced like "Ren-Ah" which means a proclamation of joy and praise. The other name was Elah, pronounced like "Ee-lah". (Not Ella)
Elah means "mighty oak" in Hebrew. We loved the symbolism of this for many reasons. In the Bible, in both the New and Old Testament trees are used to convey strength, spiritual health, faithfulness, steadfastness, dependence on the Lord and many more things. Here are a few examples:
Psalm 1:1-3 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits at the seat of scoffers, but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
John 15:1-5 I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does not bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that i have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him will bear much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
This last verse is the verse that we pray will be Elah's life verse, a verse that we will pray for her as she grows and Lord willing, comes to know the goodess, grace, sacrafice, and faithfulness of the Lord. This is also the verse that I meditated on and clung to throughout labor and delivery.
Jeremiah 17:7-8 Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and it does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and it is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.
Not only do trees have deep biblical significance, but a mighty oak is a tree that must be deeply rooted to support itself. We pray that Elah will deeply rooted in her faith and the Word of God. A mighty oak is unwavering, despite the conditions that it remains in. Our prayer is that despite the circumstances, hardships and tragedy that she encounters throughout her life that she will remain steadfast and unwavering in her faith, knowing that The Lord is good and He is faithful.
The final significance of Elah's name can be found in the pages of 1 Samuel where you read the unbelievable story of a small shepherd named David defeating a giant named Goliath by simply having total confidence and faith in God to do what he knew he could not do on his own. David defeated Goliath in the Valley of Elah. We pray that, like David, Elah would have the confidence and faith in the Lord to fight and win the battles that she cannot win alone.
We love her name but we fear that we have cursed her for the rest of her life....
"Ella Jervis..... Is there an Ella Jervis in here?"
Poor girl. Something tells me she will not have a hard time correcting them. :)
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