Where God personally renames a person ~ Bob Coy

Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying:

"As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations." -Genesis 17:3-5 (NKJV)

There are only a few examples in Scripture where God personally renames a person, and this is one of them. In that day and culture, people's names were indicative of who they were, and so when God changes people's names it always represents a deeper change that encompasses their character and nature.



The name "Abram" literally means "high father," which speaks of the honor of a father. At this point in his life, Abram had one son, Ishmael, through his servant Hagar. At ninety-nine years of age, he was probably settled and content with just the honor of being a father to Ishmael-but God had much bigger plans.


Abram was a noble moniker, but God changed his name to "Abraham," which means "father of many." As wonderful as it was to be a "high father," the Lord went above and beyond this and gave him a new nature in which the joys of his prior nature would be marvelously multiplied.



This reveals a precious aspect of the way God operates in the lives of those who surrender to Him. When the Lord takes a life over, He always exceeds the expectation and imagination of that person. We all come to the Lord with a limited view of who He is and of what He is capable of accomplishing in us.



How many of us can honestly say that we anticipated and expected Him to do all that He has done? The truth is that we are being constantly amazed by the One who is constantly replacing who we were with something infinitely better.



Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us . . . . (Ephesians 3:20 NKJV)

Discuss, Dig, Decide

Discuss with your group how the Lord has exceeded your expectations. Share an example of how you have seen Ephesians 3:20 to be true in your life.

Dig into Genesis Chapter 17. What is the significance of Abraham’s name change? How does the change represent God’s greater plan and concern for Abraham’s life? How does this account remind you of what God can do in and through one individual life?

Decide with your group to pour out an unexpected blessing on someone who has suffered in a season of hopelessness. Get together with your friends and come up with a way to show this person the reality of God being able to do abundantly beyond what we could ask or think!