These Atkinson sisters have an announcement: we are preparing to share our stash of hair bows between THREE precious girls instead of just two. 

I just love this picture. Hadassah is just beside herself with joy, and Rahab is reminiscing over her four short months of being the baby of the family. 

Micaiah Hope Atkinson has already been adding happiness and smiles and giggles and tears and warm fuzzy feelings to our hearts and home. Our family has had a precious time together watching her grow, praying for her, preparing our home for her, and talking about her. We are so thankful for the gift of life that we get to see so clearly given to us in her. 

Micaiah is named after Micah the prophet in the Bible. “Micaiah” is a Hebrew and female variant of the name “Micah” that is also used in the Bible and it means, “Who is like our God?”

(One of the persons in the “we” of this couple is very against just applying boy names such as Micah to a girl. I won’t name any names but…. Hint: said person is the one person of the “we” in this couple who possesses a boy name which has been applied to girls.)

The message of the book of Micah is that God takes sin seriously and offers salvation from sin. Judgment is a repeated theme in Micah, often in graphic terms. Nevertheless, at key points in the book, God promises salvation for his people through a coming King. The gospel is the message of the book of Micah, for Jesus ultimately is this promised King born to take away the sins of the world. Micah gives a beautiful picture both of God’s judgment on worldwide sin and of God’s cosmic-scale salvation in Jesus Christ. It also gives great comfort that in the midst of so much human injustice, God remains just and will one day execute his justice in full. 

It is our prayer that this Savior-King, Jesus, will be Micaiah’s confession. We pray that she will cry out to God in this saving faith. We pray that in response to His just judgment of sin, she will flee to Him for the pardon He delights and longs to give. We also pray that in the face of the great injustices and brokenness she will undoubtedly experience in this life, she would have full confidence in the Lord, confidence that He is just and that He is faithful to carry out His promises. 
Who is like our God? Micah gives us the answer as the conclusion of His book:  

“Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of His inheritance? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. You will show faithfulness and steadfast love, as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old.” – Micah 7:18-20. 

There. Is. No. One. Like. Our. God.