This precious, tow-headed little charmer is one of the newest members of our extended family. His name is Maddox.
Sandy and I were asked by his mom and dad to be his godparents, in a larger sense of the word. This means we are willingly taking Maddox upon ourselves to speak life into him all the days we have left, and to foment his growth in the Lord, alongside his wonderful parents..
Of course, we are not taking this lightly. This afternoon, little Maddox was brought before the Lord to be dedicated by his parents for the bolstering of the lad’s opportunities to come into the fullness of Christ and the realization of why he was created.
One of my first official acts as a spiritual father was to listen to the Father and hear from Him a blessing for Maddox. As a pastor, I’ve done scads of these, and none so important to us as this one:
Maddox, your name means fortunate. Your place in the Kingdom of God finds its origin in the seventh son of Jacob, Gad – whose name gives yours meaning – and the people of Gad were men of strength and boldness, “mighty and experienced warriors, expert with shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions and who were swift as gazelles upon the mountains” (1 Chr. 12:8).
Maddox, you are called out of the earth of men to be a son of boldness for what God calls holy, to be mighty in the Lord’s strength as a feared son of the kingdom, and to build a testimony of greatness that comes from submission to the Almighty God who directs all your steps, fights all your battles and uses you to bring holy justice to those who are unfortunate.
You are God’s javelin to execute righteousness and bring freedom to the captives and peace to those trapped in darkness. You are God’s shield for the lost, last and least among your generation. Though strong, and fearless, you will be kind, gentle and merciful to the weak, swift to give aid wherever God sends you.
Your people will speak great things about you, making special note of your compassionate heart; your family and offspring will trust your God because He has been so apparent in your life. The joy of the Lord will be your strength all your days.
And now, Maddox,
The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.Amen.
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