15 God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah.
The changing of a name is an important milestone in many cultures. It symbolizes leaving the past behind and the beginning of something new. When women get married in this culture, even still today, most change their last name to the name of their husband. They do this as a way to say to society, “I have left my parents and formed a new family with my husband.” Of course, there is a trend to create hyphenated names, the hyphen bridging the gap between the past and the present. The wife does not fully leave the past, but maintains a connection with it. And when divorce happens women often revert back to their maiden names, unless there are children who maintain their father’s last name. I almost feel sometimes like people rent new names for a period of time and then put them back on the shelf! The Lord tells Abraham, who used to be Abram until God changed his name, that his wife’s name is going to be changed. For Sarai this change must have been great. She has felt rejected by God because she has been unable to bear any children. She feels unable to fulfill her duties in that culture as a wife. She wants children, especially sons. Now God pays attention to her and changes her name as a way to say, “You are not forgotten.” People of many cultures today change names when they become Jesus-followers. The name change says that the old person is no longer alive. Because of Jesus, a new person has arrived. I should have changed my name almost 33 years ago. My name was probably “wasted.” The old me died. My priorities and ambitions changed radically. I even felt an inward change that is still being worked out in my outward actions. I have come to realize, as perhaps Sarah did, that God has not forgotten me. I am important to His plan. I have a place, and that place matters. I have significance because God has significance, and I matter to God.
The Arnold Journey 