He Knows Your Name

<p>After breaking with our longtime church, my husband and I reunited with the fellowship after three long years. <em>But how would people treat us? Would they welcome us back? Love us? Forgive us for leaving?</em> We got our answer on a sunny Sunday morning. As we walked through the big church doors, we kept hearing our names. &ldquo;Pat! Dan! It&rsquo;s so great to see you!&rdquo; As children&rsquo;s author Kate DiCamillo wrote in one of her popular books, &ldquo;Reader, nothing is sweeter in this sad world than the sound of someone you love calling your name.&rdquo;</p> <p>The same assurance was true for the people of Israel. Where we had chosen a different church for a time, they had turned their backs on God. Yet He welcomed them back. He sent the prophet Isaiah to assure them, &ldquo;Do not fear, for I have redeemed&nbsp;you; I have summoned you by name;&nbsp;you are mine&rdquo; (Isaiah 43:1).</p> <p>In this world, where we can feel unseen, unappreciated, and even unknown, be assured that God knows each of us by name. &ldquo;You are precious and honored in my sight,&rdquo; He promises (v. 4). &ldquo;When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you&rdquo; (v. 3). This promise isn&rsquo;t just for Israel. Jesus ransomed His life for us. He knows our names. Why? In love, we are His.</p>