~New Name

Some of you may have noticed that for the past year or so, Joshua suddenly began insisting that people call him "Joshua."  He no longer goes by "Josh," and quite frankly, it irks him when people call him that.  There is a story behind it, and rather than relay the information, I am going to record a letter that my mother wrote to him on August 19, 2010.  She believed God had spoken to her about Joshua's name and its purpose in his life:

I was just going to tell you this when you came home [from MA] but the Lord is prompting me to write it down.  I have always wondered at the fact that Abraham waited 25 years for Isaac to be born - from age 75 to 100.  Awhile ago, I asked God why at age 100 did he finally receive his son - why not at age 80 or 90?  Why after 25 years did it finally happen?  I know he was growing all those years spiritually, but what finally put him over the top?  I believe the Lord showed me that at age 99 God changed his name.  Abram means "high, exalted father," but God changed it to Abraham "father of a multitude."  I think the difference was that everytime he heard his name "Abraham," he heard "father of a multitude" over and over, until he just believed it.

I don't know why your mom named you Joshua, but I believe it was the prompting of the Lord for this season in your life.  I was reviewing over my Beth Moore Inheritance [Bible study] Session 4 this morning, and I saw the explanation for the name "Joshua."  Your name means "Yawheh saves, Yawheh delivers."  I believe God had your mom and dad name you Joshua as a verbal prompt to increase your faith during this time.  Everytime someone speaks your name, they are declaring that Almighty God Himself is saving and delivering you.  Just like Abraham's new name increased his faith in what God could do for him, your name can cause your faith to grow in the fact that you are going to be fine.  You are not saved and delivered by man, but by God Himself.  Yawheh - the name that was so holy, the Jews did not speak it.  The name that you learned [on Rob Bell's Breathe DVD] was the breath of God.  Beth [Moore] said that Joshua was the first name in which "Yawheh" was added into a name.  So even if a total unbeliever or the most sinful man on earth were to call out, "Hey, Joshua!" in greeting to you, they would be declaring that it is Yawheh who saves and delivers you!!!  Meditate on your name for awhile, and everytime you hear someone speak it, remember . . . "Yawheh saves, Yawheh delivers."  I am going to try and remember to call you Joshua and not Josh.  May your name be your testimony for the rest of your long life, just as Abraham's new name was for him!  Joshua - Yawheh saves, Yawheh delivers!  Joshua - Yawheh saves, Yawheh delivers!

Wow.  Yawheh saves, Yawheh delivers.  On February 8, 1985, as two parents gazed down at their adorable little boy and named him Joshua James Neagle, little did they know that the name was divinely inspired by God for such a time as this.