He Knows My Name
Isaiah 43:1 – But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.
John 10:3 – To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
Several months ago, I went on a mini women’s retreat. We had the pleasure of having my friend’s cousin, Cindy, join us. She was one of those people that you feel like you’ve known a life-time. Even though we’d all just met her, she truly fit right in.
One day, as we hiked one of the beautiful trails in Hocking Hills, Ohio, Cindy decided the cavern we were approaching would be a great place for a group photo. My sister, Lynn, was leading the pack and had gotten a little ahead of us.
“Jean, stop, I’d like to take a picture,” Cindy called. Lynn continued walking and Cindy called louder, “Jean, Jean, I want to take a picture.” Feeling frustrated since Lynn didn’t stop and turn, Cindy looked at me and said, “She’s not hearing me.”
Without missing a beat and trying to contain my laughter, I responded, “That’s probably because her name isn’t Jean.” We laughed and joked about it the rest of our weekend together.
Cindy isn’t alone though when it comes to remembering names. I am horrible at it. I remember as a kid my mom never seemed to get our names right. I was “Gary, Lynn, Jean,” or “David, Archie (Archie was the dog), Jean.” I always said to myself, “I will never do that when I have children.” However, I only had two and I still messed them up.
Remembering names is definitely a gift. We once took a group of teenagers to a function at another church. Before it started, the Pastor went around the circle and had each of our teens introduce his or her self. Once they were done, the Pastor went around and repeated each child’s name without missing or messing up any of them. I was in shock. Half the time I forget my own name, much less remembering the names of 10-15 people I’ve just met.
The amazing thing about all of this is that God knows your name. The king of all kings, creator of the universe sees you and knows who you are. He never messes up. He never has a brain-fart and nothing takes Him by surprise. Even though there may be times when you feel invisible, He sees you. He has not forgotten or forsaken you.
If you listen closely, I’m sure you will hear His voice calling you by name today. He desires to spend time with you!
“Heavenly Father, Thank you that you see me. Thank you that you have not left me even though at times I feel so all alone. I pray today that you will wrap your loving arms around those who need it and whisper comfort to their dry and thirsty souls.
Let them hear you, let them sense your presence, let them know within their very being that you have called them by name and they are yours.” Amen
Photo by: Cindy
*See more of Cindy’s gorgeous photos and be encouraged by her posts on FB at Traveling With Jesus. https://www.facebook.com/TravelingWithJesus
