Bold and Courageous

"But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it." Numbers 14:24

When we found out that our second child was going to be a boy, we were thrilled. We truly wanted our first son to have a brother, and we continue to hope and pray that they will remain close as they grow. The name that I believed the Lord was giving us for this child was 'Caleb'. 'Caleb' means "bold and courageous" and that is exactly where I was in my walk with the Lord. He had brought me through a time of trial, and I came through knowing that no matter what might come my way in this life, He was never going to leave me therefore I could face tomorrow with courage.

Although I believed this was the name for our son, I did have some doubts because some of our family members did not like his name. Imagine that! But, I continued to seek God and look for our new son's life verse. Numbers 14:24 was the verse the Lord gave me, and it became our prayer for Caleb.

God did not have to give me any further confirmation that this was truly the name He had for our son, but because He is good and does more for us than we ask or seek, He did. As I was preparing Caleb's birth announcements I realized that he was born at exactly 2:24 pm. In military time that is 14:24. So on his birth certificate and several other documents it is recorded as 14:24 which is the reference of his life verse - Numbers 14:24.

This week I saw the boldness and courage that the Lord is building in Caleb. Because of some health issues, he is having to have some tests run. One of the tests required blood being drawn from his arm. Of course, this is no big deal for an adult, but for a 3 year old, that can be pretty traumatic. But, Caleb sat in my lap, held out his arm, watched the tech the entire time, and breathed in and out. He never jerked, cried, yelled, or anything. Afterward, he said, "I was very brave". I said, "yes, you were very brave." Praise God for giving us what we need exactly when we need it.

I pray that we can face the coming days with the boldness and courage I have seen in our son. God tells us "do not be afraid" many, many times in the Bible. Whatever you are facing today, be bold and courageous, knowing that God is with you.