He Knows Your Name

The LORD replied to Moses, “I will indeed do what you have asked, for I look favorably on you, and I know you by name.”

“Mom, did you get rid of Violet?” my daughter asked.

Stalling for time, I paused and asked a question of my own. “Why?”

“I can’t find her,” she said. “I’ve looked everywhere. Do you think you donated her?”

“Hmm,” I said noncommittally, knowing full well that I’d purged Violet—a purple stuffed animal who talked—long ago. (Noisy toys are the bane of a parent’s existence.) I sighed, deciding to be honest. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure I did.”

Crestfallen, she left the room. I couldn’t help but feel bad; I would never have given the toy away, noisy or not, if I’d known how much it mattered to my daughter.

Why would she remember Violet when she has forgotten the hundreds of other toys, clothes, and books I’ve donated over the years? I think it’s because Violet was customizable. After we programmed her online, she sang a song with my daughter’s name, remarking on her love of peanut butter and penguins.

Violet knew my daughter’s name, and that was remarkable to her.

What’s more remarkable is that God knows our name. The story of Moses is a great example. When Moses encountered God in a burning bush, I imagine that he wanted nothing more than to live a quiet, anonymous life. After all, he’d left everything behind—including his wealth and position of privilege—in his flight from Egypt. Though he had rebuilt his life in a new land, I doubt he broadcasted the circumstances of his former world to those around him. Yet, when God appeared in the burning bush, he called Moses by name. He wasn’t fooled by the fact that Moses was far from his homeland. He knew Moses was the person he wanted to use in freeing the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt. He called him by name to fulfill a specific purpose.

There is power in names—the names we are given at birth, our nicknames, the good or bad names we internally call ourselves. Though there are billions of people alive today, each is as unique as fingerprints to our Father God. I am grateful that he knows us by name—and more staggering, that he has a purpose for each of us. We are irreplaceable.

Kristin

Today’s Act of Gratitude

Reflect on what it means to you that Jesus knows your name.