The Power in a Name

Have you ever had someone you didn't know come up and call you by name?  If you're anything like me, It leads to a very awkward moment of trying to link a name to a face, ultimately ending in a simple hello to buy time while you try to remember who you're talking to.  Working on a cruise ship, I'm constantly referring to people as sir, ma'am, or something to that effect as they go about their vacations.  It's always unusual when somebody calls me out by name.

As I was out today, I had a guest start talking to me, calling me specifically by name, and it really got me thinking about the whole concept.  Here was a person whose vacation I was able to affect to the point they were able to pick me out of a crowd of people (Out of uniform no less), then took the time to actually start a conversation with me!  It would have had to take quite a bit of effort for that all to happen.   This got me thinking even more about our relationship with God.  Here's our God who knows us BY NAME.

 Isaiah 43:1 says, "But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine."  Did you ever think about this concept?  God took you, designed you, formed you, named you, and you are HIS.  When we get married and have children, our children are a labor of our love for our spouse and they are immediately loved for what they represent.  God thinks the same way about you!  Your existence on this planet is due to God's labor of love - a love that started in the Garden of Eden and continues to this day, introducing new life every minute.  And even with the billions of people on this planet, and the hundreds of trillions of people who have lived on this planet, you are completely unique!   God designed you with your own specific journey and purpose with the same amount of love as He has every other person on this planet.  Every person has a purpose, even the lowest person you could think of.

The fact that God knows me by name just hits me hard, because it's a distinct level of personal connection.  It takes time, desire, and effort.  It's an example of a powerful God who pursues you every moment, trying to draw you closer to Himself to give you a glimpse of the immense love He has for you.