Levi Samuel

Levi Samuel: Priestly worship leader who hears from God.

This is the name of our son, who was born today, December 20th, weighing in at an amazing 11 lbs, 3 oz. (!!!) and measuring 22 inches long. We can’t wait to introduce you to him! 


This is the story of Levi Samuel’s name, and how God revealed it to us. (See facebook for the rest of the pictures!)

Levi. Nate and I have both long sensed that we’re in the line of the Levites, in a spiritual sense. Levi was one of the sons of Jacob, father of one of Israel’s twelve tribes. Levi’s descendants, the Levites, were set apart by God to be the Priests and Worship Leaders for Israel. They were in charge of Israel’s spiritual life – everything from physical maintenance of the Temple to performance of the sacrifices. They were musicians, artists, and spiritual leaders; they were the ones who wrote Psalms and led Israel’s armies into battle with exuberant worship. The Levites were also the only tribe who didn’t get a portion of the Promised Land when it was divided up. Instead, they were to live on the tithes and offerings of the other 11 tribes. Their lives were devoted to caring for Israel’s spiritual needs, and likewise the Israelites took care of their physical needs. They were the first “pastoral staff,” and the first of God’s people to be in “support-raised ministry.”

Like the Levites, Nate and I are called to be spiritual leaders for God’s people, using our gifts in worship and discipleship to serve the Church. And also like the Levites, as we devote our energy to people’s spiritual needs, we depend on His people to meet our physical needs. This is how we feel God has set us apart within His kingdom. It feels significant to us that our son is coming into the world in the same season that our family is being ushered into our specific calling of full-time, support-raised discipleship ministry.

We have also sensed that our son has his own priestly calling, apart from us. One of Nate’s first impressions about our child, before ultrasound confirmed his sex, was that he would be a boy and a future worship leader.  This sense of his having a “priestly” leadership role within the Church has been reaffirmed throughout the pregnancy. We believe our son, Levi, will live a life very much in line with the original calling of the Levites.

Finally, the name “Levi” literally means “joined,” in the sense of a husband and wife being joined or bonded together. This is also very significant to us, because throughout this pregnancy, Nate and I have both had a pointed and consistent sense of God knitting us closer together as husband and wife. This theme stands out as a hallmark of this season. Levi is coming along at a time when God is “joining” Nate and I together in significant ways that are essential for the health of our family, as well as our ministry together.

Samuel. Levi’s middle name captures the other half of our sense and hope for his life. The name Samuel literally means “Name of God” or “God heard.” The Hebrew verb in this name carries the connotation of listening, understanding, and obeying. We’ve had the consistent sense from the Lord throughout this pregnancy that our son will hear clearly from God, beginning at an early age – even earlier than we are comfortable with.

Samuel in the Old Testament was the son of Hannah, who had begged God for a child. She promised God that if He gave her a son, she would devote the child back to God. So when God gave her a son, she named him Samuel (“God heard” her prayer), and she faithfully turned him over to the priests to be raised in the Temple. As a young boy, Samuel heard God audibly speaking to him, literally waking him up in the night. This is the kind of intimate relationship with God that we believe our son will have.

Early on in the pregnancy, Nate had this sense about our son following God independently at a young age. God later highlighted to me the story of 12-year-old Jesus, who abandoned his family’s caravan to teach in the Temple and left his parents panicking for days as to his whereabouts. Though we don’t know the details, we expect that our young son will give us a similar response to the one Jesus gave his parents – “Where did you expect me to be? It’s only natural that I would be in my Father’s house.”

Long before we had settled on his name, a dear friend of ours prayed over our son and shared her sense that he had the spirit of Samuel – of someone who literally hears from God. A couple of months later, a family member shared his similar sense that our son would hear from the Lord and that the Word of God would be of crucial importance in his life. These experiences with our trusted community gave even more backing to our sense that our son’s middle name ought to be Samuel.

Levi Samuel: Priestly worship leader who hears from God.

Our son’s life is devoted to God. The Lord has let us know that if we give our son this name, he will grow to fill its shoes. We look forward to watching his life unfold!