He knows my name

By Chris WittsFriday 15 Mar 2013Morning Devotions with Chris WittsFaithReading Time: 0 minutes

You may recall a popular TV show that ran from the early 1980’s to 1993 called “Cheers”. It was all about a group of friends who liked to meet,and the theme song was called “Where Everybody Knows your Name”. Part of the theme song went like this ..

“Making your way in the world takes everything you’ve got.
Taking a break from all your worries sure would help a lot.
Wouldn’t you like to get away?
Sometimes you want to go
Where everybody knows your name,
And they’re always glad you came.
You wanna be where you can see,
Our troubles are all the same.
You wanna be where everybody knows your name.
You wanna go where people are all the same,
You wanna go where everybody knows you name.”

There’s something real here about our need to be with people who accept and love us for who we are .. others who know our name and appreciate us. It seems we have this inner desire to be known and loved. We need to be with people who know our name,because as we do,we discover our identity,a self meaning,and self worth.

If you go to a function or gathering of lots of people,chances are you’ll be given a name tag. Why? Because the worst thing is to stand around not knowing anyone,and no-one else knowing who you are. So,it is comforting to have a name tag so that people can address you by name. It seems to be a basic need – we want to hear our own names and we want others to remember them. Anyone who works with the public will tell you to learn and say a person’s name when speaking with him or her. It adds a personal touch to a sales pitch. Hearing his or her name from a doctor helps a patient feel cared for. We don’t want to think others don’t care enough to remember who we are.

While we like our own space,most of us enjoy life more when we’re with friends who know us.. “Walking through the jungle,a hunter found a dead ferocious-looking rhinoceros with a Pygmy standing proudly beside it. Amazed,the hunter asked,’Did you kill that rhino?’ ‘Why,yes,’ said the Pygmy. ‘How could a little fella like you kill a beast like that?’ ‘I killed it with my club,’ explained the Pygmy. The astonished hunter exclaimed,’Wow! How big is your club?’ The Pygmy replied,’There are about 90 of us.'” So you see,there is power in a group who stand with us,that cannot be matched when we are alone.

That’s why it’s so good that God knows your name. Tommy Walker wrote this beautiful gospel song that I think expresses this so well. It’s touched the hearts of millions world wide. “I have a Maker,He formed my heart. Before even time began,My life was in his hands. He knows my name,He knows my every thought. He sees each tear that falls,and He hears me when I call. I have a Father He calls me His own. He’ll never leave me,No matter where I go.”  These words and the song are special because it reminds me I am special in God’s eyes. We have a God who loves us so much that He knows our individual name.

After all,names are very important. In Bible times,especially so. Back then your name was not chosen because it was cool or popular .. it was assigned to you because it had a special meaning. It reflected your character and mission in life.

Let me give you a few examples ..

Samuel meant ‘asked of God”
David  meant ‘well beloved;
Peter meant ‘a rock or stone’
Daniel meant ‘God my judge’
James meant ‘to follow’

1 John 3:1 says “Think how much the Father loves us. He loves us so much that He lets us be called His children,as we truly are”.

And God said to Jeremiah years ago “I am your Creator and before you were born I chose you to speak for me to the nations”.  This is the God who loves you intensely .. He sees us as we are and knows our name. And that is what makes our relationship with Him the most healing and most completely sustaining thing in all the world. Nothing else can compare. He will never leave us – He is solid,reliable,true and never too busy.

Paul Burleson once said “There is nothing you can do to make God love you any more,and there is nothing you can do to make God love you any less”.

The population of the world is now more than six billion. According to an article on wikipedia.org.,about one fifth of all the humans who have existed in the last 6,000 years are alive today. That’s a lot of people. But how many of them can you name? A hundred? Five hundred?  How many names of all the billions of people ever born on this earth are remembered today? All those names,faded on headstones (if they were on headstones),are now forgotten. Only the names of the famous and the infamous can be recalled,and only some of those.

How sad to think of all the lives over the centuries lost to the mists of history. How sad personally,to think no one will remember our names or the names of the ones we love. The reality is,not too long from now,our names will be forgotten. But there’s One who can remember every name of every person ever born. God knows and remembers each name of each human,and not only their names,but everything about them.

The song “He Knows My Name” by Tommy Walker reminds us we won’t be forgotten to history. We aren’t just numbers in a database. God knows our names,even our middle ones. He knows our every thought,sees each tear and hears us when we call.  This world seems impersonal at times. It can be a sad and lonely place. Some days we all feel like we’re just a number,obscure and unimportant. We wonder if anyone really cares. But every time a tear falls from my eyes,God sees it. He understands and even cries with me. If no one else in the world cares,he does. Knowing God knows my name and will never forget who I am is a comforting thought.

Is life getting you down? Feeling a little sad,lonely,unappreciated? God knows and he cares. He knows your name and knows your pain. There’s a lovely verse in Psalm 56:8 that says “You have kept a record of my days of wandering. You have stored my tears in your bottle and counted each of them”.  He has even written your name in his book of life (Luke 10:20).

Next time you feel like a number,like no one cares or remembers who you are,think of the One who saves your tears,has numbered the hairs on your head (Luke 12:7) and takes care of your every need (Matthew 6:30). He knows your name and hears you when you call.