God does not only know my name, He calls me by my name.

            

 And the Lord said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name (Exodus 33:17).

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 (Isaiah 43:1)

When my pastor read Isaiah 43:1 in church this week, it felt like my first time of hearing that scripture ­–  except that I had read it several times before, I just didn’t give it adequate thoughts. Sometimes we get so familiar with the Bible that we fail to ponder on its words as much as we should. The last line of that scripture has stayed with me since it was read by my pastor.

Of course, I know God knows my name and He calls me by my name but what does that really mean?

 I didn’t know what it means until recently when I went through a huge emotional and physical distress. I was at my lowest ebb, there was no hope in sight. It felt like the whole universe conspired against me. I struggled to pray or read my Bible. I struggled to attend church services. I began a fast with the hope to gain some spiritual weight and it was during the fast that my pastor read that scripture which flew straight, like an arrow of fire, into my bones. It was all I needed to hear.

 God does not only know my name, he calls me by my name.

In my prolonged meditation on this revelational knowledge that radically transformed my perspective about what I was going through, I realized that many things happen when God knows and calls us by our names. First, it is a sign of recognition. It shows that God thinks about us. He is concerned about us. We are not forgotten. He knows what we are going through. He is touched by the feelings of our infirmities (Hebrews 4:15). In my time of distress, knowing that God knows my name gave me a calm assurance that I was not alone. It was a profound spiritual understanding that settled in my spirit and reshaped the way I see (and carry) myself and the way I handle life’s situations.

God calls his children by their names. He is not the kind of father that forgets his children(‘s names). From Moses (Exodus 33:17) to David (Psalm 91:14) to Isaiah(43:1) to Samuel(I Samuel 3:4), God calls his people by their names. God knows your name in ways that even your earthly parents don’t.

When someone who is under no obligation decides to know or remember your name, it is because they have a vested interest in you. In view of this, Exodus 33:17 made me realise that finding grace in God’s sight goes hand in hand with Him knowing us and calling us by our names. In fact, in the Hebrew culture, to call someone’s name is to seek their presence. Therefore, God knows my name because He, in his abundant mercy, seeks my presence and fellowship (Luke 19:10, 15:4-7).

That God knows my name is a big deal.

He knows my name because my name is in the book of life.

He knows my name because I am His own.

He knows my name because He walks with me.

He knows my name because He is my loving father and friend.

I have walked safely through difficult times because He knows my name.

Song reference: Tasha Cobbs’ You Know My Name (ft. Jimi Cravity) and  Francesca Battistelli’s He Knows My Name