Jaeson Ma offers this interesting note concerning the name “Emma” and it’s current standing as the most popular name for female newborns. He says:
Two years ago I wrote a series of blog posts about baby “Emma.” The name comes from the Latin name “Emmanuela” which comes from “Emmanuel” or “God with us.” The Spirit of the Lord showed me this generation would have prophetic connection with this name. Mainly, that God’s presence, the revelation of God as Loving Father and Passionate Bridegroom, would be revealed to this chosen generation.
Curious what the most popular male name currently is? Jacob. It has been for the past 10 years.
A verse containing the name “Jacob” has always caused me to pause with curiosity about its exact meaning. Psalm 24:3-6:
Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD?
Or who may stand in His holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol,
Nor sworn deceitfully.
He shall receive blessing from the LORD,
And righteousness from the God of his salvation.
This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him,
Who seek Your face. Selah
I still don’t pretend to know exactly what David is getting at in this passage, but there’s a parallel he’s drawing between the patriarch Jacob (whose name means “Supplanter” and might be most famous for wrestling with God) and those who seek God’s face. Maybe its Jacob’s rawness and willingness to get dirty with the Lord that actually made him a great God-chaser.
Regardless, what the passage states is that those who seek God’s face in the spirit of Jacob are among those who “may ascend the hill of the LORD, stand in His holy place, have clean hands and pure hearts, and don’t practice idolatry.”
What’s exiting is the thought of bringing together the Emma and Jacob generations; we now have “God With Us” and “Those Who Seek Him”.
Our world desperately needs the Emma and Jacob generations to arise and take their rightful places. And these two generations desperately need our generation to take our rightful places as spiritual fathers and mothers, offering them a sky-scraping floor—our ceiling—as their starting point in pursuing God.
