I Have Called You by Your Name
October 31st, 2008 at 10:49 am (Musings)
“My name is graven on His hands; my name is written on His heart”…”You knew my name before there was time”…”He knows my name”. I’ve noticed this common thread running through many of my favorite songs; the idea that God knows our names–my name–and whenever I hear a line like that, it tugs at my heart and brings me nearly to tears. I’ve been wondering exactly why it does mean so much to know that God knows my name. I think it’s because a name is such a fundamental part of an identity. Your name in a way defines who you are. It’s how you can be found, and what takes you from being just one face in the throng to one who can be known. When your name is known to someone, you are no longer an abstract idea just floating around out there. You become real. It also has to do with trust. Why else are we so careful about giving out names to strangers or online?
Because of all that, the fact the God knows each and every one of our names means that He doesn’t just view humanity as one uniform mass of people. He sees each individual face making up that crowd, and He knows each name, and He can be trusted with it. He knows each of the billions of people on this earth more deeply than they know themselves. And He loves us anyway! He knows and loves you.
“ Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name;
You are Mine.” -Isaiah 43:1