He Knows Your Name
"And the LORD said to Moses, 'This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.'" (Exodus 33:17 ESV)
There's a scene in one of my favorite movies where the main character—the fictional President of the United States—is walking along an outdoor passageway at the White House with an aide when he's greeted by a gardener.
"Good morning, Mr. President!" the man calls. The President's aide quickly and discretely supplies the gardener's name, and the President returns the greeting, "Morning, Charlie!"
No doubt, "Charlie" knew the Commander-in-Chief had been cued on his name, but there was still power in the use of it. The point was not that the President didn't know the name of every member of his staff but rather that he understood the dignity-affirming importance of calling someone by their name.
The Commander-in-Chief of the universe calls us by our names, but He doesn't need to be cued by any aide. "I know you by name," He told Moses, and He says the same to us. And not only does He know our names, He knows who we truly are. And not only does He know our names and who we are, He loves us as we are. And not only does He know our names and know who we are and love us as we are, He loves us so much that He moves us from who we are to who He wants us to become.
And when we get there, He gives us new names.
Hannah was called barren, but God gave her a new name: "mother" (1 Samuel 1:19,20).
The woman who anointed Jesus' feet with expensive perfume was called a sinner, but God gave her a new name: "forgiven" (Luke 7:36-50).
The thief on the cross was called condemned, but God gave him a new name: "saved" (Luke 23:39-43).
Maybe we know ourselves (or are known by others) by names like failure or sinner or outcast. But God looks at us and says, "I know your name, and it isn't any of those. Your name is 'child.' Your name is 'beloved.' And your name is 'mine.'"
Oh God, you know my name. Help me to make Yours known.
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I'd love to hear from you! Feel free to tell me what you really think. Years ago, I explained to my then-two-year-old that my appointment with a counselor was "sort of like going to a doctor who will help me be a better mommy." Without blinking, she replied, "You'd better go every day." All of which is just to say I've spent some time in the school of brutal honesty!