He Knows My Name

Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.

Isaiah 43:1 (ESV)      

My mother was born on August 31, 1938, outside London in South Harrow, England. WWII overshadowed the first seven years of her life. Twice, she was evacuated from London to the countryside to avoid the bombings.

After the war ended, her father returned home (he was a conscientious objector; rather than sit in a cell, he volunteered to dig up buried land mines). One day, as he was praying and preparing his sermon, he heard the Spirit’s voice whisper, “What about Noreen?”

Rising from his knees, he went to find my mother who was playing in her room.

“Noreen,” he said, “while I was studying and praying, God whispered, ‘What about Noreen?’”

My mother looked up, her eyes wide. “God knows my name?”

Although my mother knew God was a personal God, she hadn’t fully grasped the truth that the Almighty God, Creator of the Universe, cared about her on a very personal, individual level. In her ‘aha!” moment, she understood God knew everything about her – even her name. That moment would stay with her the rest of her life, a steadfast anchor for her soul.

Knowing a person’s name entails a relationship, be it casual or intimate. We associate with that person. At some point, our worlds overlap. Yet God takes it beyond mere acquaintance – He invests Himself fully in every single area of our lives. Instead of intersecting, our lives are enveloped in His.

To Moses He said, “I know you by name, and I look favorably on you” (Exodus 33:12). God harks back to that moment when God called Moses by name from the middle of a burning bush (Exodus 3:4). He’s reminding Moses that He knows him fully – his past, his failures, and his shortcomings – yet looks on him with favor; love to the fullest.

You, my friend, are not unknown or unseen by God.

You are not an accident, a number, a statistic, a dash between date of birth and date of death.

Before the world was created, He knew you and chose to love you (Ephesians 1:4).

You have value.

Your life has meaning.

You matter.

John 10:3 reminds us, “He (Jesus, the Good Shepherd) calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” Reflect on this a moment; your name is on God’s lips!

He has claimed you as His own – wholly known and wholly loved.

Prayer: Lord, though at times I feel insignificant in the grand scheme of things, your Word assures me I am anything but. Oh, the joy of being wholly known yet wholly loved. Oh, the wonder of knowing my name is always on your lips.