Sometime ago I found out that my name, Jacquelyn, is the feminine form of Jacob and means surpplanter or deceiver. This was, of course, not a happy thought. I knew that God had changed Jacob's name so I prayed that He would change mine. I told no one of my prayer for I wanted the way clear for the Lord to speak to me and not have the influence of some person's desire for me. I wanted to be sure that, if God indeed would change my name, there would be no doubt in my mind.

A few months later I was praying with a friend of mine that was going on a missionary trip to Australia. The Lord gave me a word for her that blessed her and as she gave me a hug to thank me for the prayer, she whispered in my ear. "Thou shalt no more be called Jacquelyn but from this day thou shalt be called Deborah." I was very excited and couldn't wait to see what it meant. I knew who Deborah was in the Bible but didn't know the meaning of the name. Well, it was a surprise to me. It means a bee. To confirm it, the Lord caused me to meet a man who was a retired bee keeper and, to keep busy, he burned pictures of honey bees into wood. I didn't tell him anything about my prayer. As he was showing me the pieces he had done, he said he felt the Lord would have him give me one of them.

So now I had my new name. I knew what it meant, but I was confused as to the message the Lord had for me. I felt that knowing who Deborah was in the Scriptures was a good start. She was a judge and a prophetess. That sounds good to me, Lord, I'll ttake it. But of course that was a prideful thing. I wanted to know what God was saying about me.

I began to read all I could about bees. Soon I began to see something. The bee's purpose in the earth is to pollinate, but the bee doesn't know that. All he knows is that he has within him a desire for nectar.

I would like to take a little aside here for as I was looking up the word nectar, to be sure I had spelled it right, I found a very profound thing. The meaning that has to do with the liquid in flowers is the third meaning listed. Webster begins with: <Gr. nektar <base of necros, dead body (see NECRO) +tar, who overcomes (akin to Sans. Tarati (he overcomes): hence, death overcoming.

That caused me to appreciate the name Deborah even more.

But back to the bee. He doesn't know that he is pollinating. God has placed within him a desire for the nectar and, as he goes about fulfilling that desire, he is automatically doing the will of God. I thought of the scripture that says; "the Lord will give you the desires of your heart." The Lord didn't mean that you could come up with any old desire and He would give it to you, He meant that, as you seek Him, He will place desires within your heart.

This world is filled with death. Sin abounds and death is it's wages; but within us is the desire for the sweet savor of the Lord. As we give ourselves to that desire to partake of Him and be filled with the nectar (death overcoming) of the Spirit, we will be pollinating and bringing life to a sin-sick world.

I have been accused many times of being sort of excited about the things of the Lord. I like to dance in the Spirit (and I don't mind doing a bit of dancing before the Lord in the flesh, after all what better thing could the flesh do?) You may think I'm just having a good time. Well, I am! But I'm also doing something else; I'm living up to the name God gave me. I'm pollinating!

Jackie