Your name. Your name wasn’t chosen by us, it was chosen by God. God has given us a special gift in you. He has entrusted you to us for a time, until we will be with Him in glory.
Your name is special for many reasons. One, your Daddy picked it. He also picked Eliana’s name. He is a Godly man who will love you far greater than anyone else here on earth. He will be your biggest fan with a shoulder to lean on and to cry on. He is someone you can look up to as a model for your future husband. He is the head of our house. God picked him for me, just as He picked him for you.
Anaiah is a Hebrew name. We wanted you to have a Hebrew name like Eliana, because when Christ took the form of a man, He was Hebrew. Your name in Hebrew also has true meaning derived from the Hebrew text. When choosing a name for you the two most important things that we considered where the meaning of the name and the circumstances when God brought you into our lives.
Anaiah means “God answers”. Your first name comes from how your conception, birth and life bring God glory. Just like Eliana, you are an answer to prayer. God answers prayers in different ways and in His own timing. Sometimes we might not understand His ways, but His ways are always perfect. Eight months before you were conceived, we lost Tristan Natia. Tristan’s name means, “Full of sorrow with hope.” Because of the hope we have in Christ, we knew the baby was with his/her Creator in Heaven. And we knew that although we had to pray and try for Tristan, we had hope that one day God would again answer our prayers for another child. Although we didn’t know it, God knew that you needed to enter the world at just the right time in order for your life to bring Him the greatest glory. You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do. Eliana’s conception brought God glory through many years of waiting and praying. Your conception brought God glory in a different way. What we thought was impossible, God made possible. When we thought that I couldn’t conceive on my own, God was beginning His masterpiece. He was forming you in the womb before we even knew you were there. What a precious time you had with your Creator before He made you known to us, just a few weeks later.
Just like with Eliana, we want you to remember that because God answers that means He is always there. He will never leave you baby. He will be with you at all times leading you, guiding you, comforting you, cheering for you and smiling down on you. He loves you baby. He created you. He always answers. My favorite passage is Psalm 139. This passage has always brought me comfort and I love that it has such a special meaning for me and for my girls. Verses 1-10 say, “O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.” No matter if you mess up or turn away, remember that He never left you.
Faith. Your middle name, just like Eliana’s (Grace) comes from the way that we receive salvation from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Our faith is one of the most important things to us because it is what enables us to respond to God no matter what life may throw our way. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Last summer, we had hope that someday God would again bless our lives with another child. He did with a miracle. That miracle is you. Psalm 139:13-16 says, “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” God’s fingerprint is on you, baby. He formed you with His very hands before we even knew you were there. You were made in secret. You were hoped for and God’s power was being displayed in what we could not see. That is faith.
It is our prayer that you will receive the same faith that we have that God answers. We pray that your name will remind you that both when things are going well and when times are tough that you can draw near to God because you know that He cares enough to hear and answer every prayer that you pray in faith. Sometimes the answer will be no, because God knows what is best for you. Sometimes the answer is yes, because God in His goodness wants to show you His love. Other times the answer is not yet, because God has something in store that is even greater than anything you could imagine. For us, you are God’s answer to our prayers and we have great faith that He is going to work all things in our lives for His glory and our good. We love you so much, Anaiah Faith!
