God Knows Our Name!

There are folks in our world who believe that God is a non-caring God — a nebulous God who is completely detached form His creation and created beings. As Christians, it's comforting to know that the God we serve knows our name and is personally concerned about our welfare and well-being (John 10:14; cf. 1 Corinthians 8:3; Gal. 4:9; 2 Timothy 2:19; 1 Peter 5:7).

Understanding the above truths, let us look at the following examples to illustrate the fact that our God takes a personal interest in each one of His followers:

• Before his name is changed to Abraham, God calls to Abram out of a vision saying, "Fear not, Abram" (Genesis 15:1).

• When Abraham is about to offer his only son Isaac upon the alter, the angel of the Lord calls to him out of heaven saying, "Abraham, Abraham" (Genesis 22:11).

• The angel of the Lord speaks directly to Jacob saying, "Jacob" (Genesis 31:11), and in a vision saying, "Jacob, Jacob" (Genesis 46:2).

• Moses' encounter with God at the burning bush (Exodus 3:1-2). As Moses goes to investigate why the burning bush is not consumed, God calls to him from out of the bush saying, "Moses, Moses" (Exodus 3:3-4).

• Young Samuel being fast asleep, when he repeatedly hears the Lord's voice say, "Samuel" (1 Samuel 3:4,6,8,10).

• Saul hears the voice of the Lord say, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" (Acts 9:4).

All of the above verses consistently affirm that God does indeed know His children by name. He is very much aware of our problems, our attitudes, our motives, our works (whether good or evil), and our sins. Since this is the case, we should rejoice that our God is a loving long-suffering, merciful, and forgiving God, who is personally interested in each one of us.

Because we know that God loves and knows us on a personal level, let us give praise, glory, and honor to His name this day and every day! (Psalm 30:10-12; Psalm 42:11; Psalm 150:1,2,6).

—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets