Heaven does the wave

In explaining why we decided to name our daugther Jessica, I mentioned Proverbs 21:1.

"The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord;
     he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases."

So, in part, to reinforce how we believe God is ultimately in control of directing our daughter into our lives, we have decided to give Jessica the middle name of Brooke. Brooke pretty much means what it says -- a river, a stream, a brook. And even now, as we continue to wait for news from China, God sees. And He is seeing this little brook into our lives.

"If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
     if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
     your right hand will hold me fast."  Psalm 139:9-10

But we don't just want a name that merely serves as a constant reminder of our daughter's adoptive past. We want a name that will also serve as a source of strength and encouragement in the future. And this is what we find in Psalm 46.

"There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
     The holy dwelling places of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved;
     God will help her when morning dawns."  Psalm 46:4-5

Now, to be honest, I haven't done enough research to figure out if God is in the midst of the river or in the midst of the city of God. But, I'm not sure it matters too much, because we pray that our daughter will be both the river and part of the family of God in this verse.

By choosing this name, we want to remind her that she makes God glad, and that God is with her and will help her in difficult times.

And Psalm 46 concludes:

"Be still, and know that I am God;
     I will be exalted among the nations,
     I will be exalted in the earth."

We figured a brook or a stream is a great place to be still by.

So, to summarize:

     Jessica. God sees. God watches. God beholds.

     Brooke. A stream that makes God glad.

     Jessica Brooke. God cheers.