Named By GOD

So, It was early 1975 and  I had just laid down to go to bed. I was 5 months pregnant at that time and very worn out from a full day of running after my two year old son Jason. I went to bed that night and fell into a very deep sleep. Some time in the middle of the night I heard a male voice call my name. I woke up immediately and saw standing in front of me a bright light that encircled an Angel and I heard the voice from the light say to me, "you will have a son, name him Joshua". I was amazed at what I beheld. That was all he said to me.  I didn't bother talking back to the angel in the light. I stared at him and somehow knew I was not to respond.  The voice was sure and steady, strong and kind. It wasn't asking me for my input. The decree spoken to me was not up for discussion. The voice was convincing. It was beyond wonderful seeing this amazing sight before me. I was thinking to myself, "O.K. he will be named Joshua". And that was the end of the conversation.

With that the Angel simply disappeared right before my eyes.

I felt wonderfully comforted, loved and safe.

I laid back down and somehow fell fast asleep again.

 

I woke up the next day and proclaimed to my husband, we're having a boy, his name will be Joshua! My husband gave me a strange look and said, really. I wanted to call him Benjamin and I said well, he already has a name, his name is Joshua. My husband just shook his head and said "why can't we name Allen after my middle name and I said alright, he will be Joshua Allen". 

You see, my husband wasn't going to argue much with me as this was the second time this voice and shimmering Angel had come to me this way. 

Just two years earlier at exactly the same time in my first pregnancy, the same Angel with the same voice made this proclamation to me.

The only difference was that the first time the Angel spoke to me, he said to me "you will have a son, name him Jason" Which is exactly what I did after arm wrestling my husband about naming him Jason. It was hard to convince my husband to do this, but ultimately Jason was accepted.

 

Funny thing is after the fact and many years later actually, it occurred to me that I never had to choose the names for my son's. The names were predestined and chosen for me and them. 

 

In the 70's there were no sonograms that I knew of. You got pregnant and you waited nine months to find out what you were going to have. There was no way to know the sex of your baby. All women were encouraged to be "knocked out" for the arrival or have a C-section for delivery ease and planning.  The moment the Angels decree was spoken to me I had decided I would have a natural child birth so I could watch this miracle child be born. I wanted to be the first to see if the Angel spoke the truth or not. So I travelled to hospitals that would allow this type of delivery. I had told the Doctors with each child I was having a son and his name Jason or his name was Joshua. I really spooked the Doctors with my story, but after all. It was true.

 

The picture above is Joshua. Today is his Birthday. He was born just as the Angel said he would be, as was his brother Jason. You know, we never know what GOD will do. But this is for sure. I love my son's with all my heart and I am so grateful for their

preordained names and announcements to this day.

They are my gift from GOD!

 

~Happy Birthday Joshua~