He calls me by name
November 2, 2021
There are many instances in the Bible of God calling people by their names, for example, Hagar (Genesis 16:8), Abraham (Genesis 22:1), Jacob/Israel (Genesis 35:10, 46:2), Moses (Exodus 3:4), Samuel (1 Samuel 3:4), and Saul/Paul (Acts 9:4). He also personally named four people before their births: Ishmael (Genesis 16:11), Isaac (Genesis 17:19), John the Baptist (Luke 1:11-13), and Jesus (Matthew 1:21).
Very recently, my friend had a dream in which she saw a man preparing a banquet table at which each place setting had someone's name. The decor made her think of the banner of love (SS 2:4). The man called her name, and His voice vibrated like thunder through the huge hall. "Are you coming to the banquet tonight?" He asked. She awoke with tears, realizing it was Jesus who had called her by name.
Has God ever called you by name? I have never heard Him call me by the name my parents gave me, but He has given me another name that expresses His feelings toward me and is a great encouragement to me. Whether or not you have heard Him call you by name, know that He loves the unique person He created in you.
"For You created my inmost being;
You knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from You
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in Your book
before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are Your thoughts, God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with You." (Psalm 139:13-18)
Consider the situation many Afghans find themselves in right now. Whether sheltering in "safe" houses in Afghanistan, waiting in a risky location in a neighbouring nation for transit to an unknown destination, already at a destination of refuge and undergoing quarantine, or being processed and oriented to an entirely new and uncertain future, what a difference it could make for them to know that God knows them by name as individuals, sees their plight, is available to them personally for comfort, peace, and guidance, and wants them to know Him by name!
Let's pray!
Do YOU need to know that the Almighty One sees and hears you in whatever situation you find yourself in today, that He knows you by name and is listening to hear you speak His name? Call out to Him—YOU KNOW HIS NAME.
Pray that desperate Afghans in the various situations mentioned above will, in their extreme need, have encounters with believers and with Jesus Himself that reveal to them that He knows them personally, sees them as they are, loves and is fully available to them, and is able to answer their hearts' cries.
The Lord is preparing a wedding banquet. Pray for us in the Church to be ready and not make excuses when He sends HIs personal invitations to attend His great banquet. Pray the Church will go out among the Afghans who come to our cities and gather them so that "the wedding hall [is] filled with guests" (Matthew 22:1-14, Luke 14:16-23, Revelation 19:7-9) .