Say My Name
The motivational writer Dale Carnegie once famously wrote, “A person’s name is to him or her the sweetest and most important sound in any language.”
Most people put a lot of value in their names. It’s part of who they are, their identity, their verbal fingerprint. It’s why people will sit up and listen when their name is correctly pronounced and why people feel special when they see their name in print.
Even still, our names are becoming obsolete in today’s world where they, and our individualities, are often taken away from us. Most of the time, we’re an account number, a ticket stub, the last four digits of our social security number, or a credit card number. Our identity is just another stream of numbers, and our names are simply a secondary label. Our very uniqueness is undermined.
This slow, methodical erasing of our names, our very individuality, is precisely what the Devil wants. This identity theft allows him more of a foothold. “You’re not as special or unique as you once thought. Your name, distinctiveness, origin is nothing to shout about or remember.” Have you ever felt like this? Like you were just another face in a sea of other faces? Like you were just another person to be counted in the census, the population, the world?
If you have, I have something special to tell you. You’re wrong. God doesn’t just count his sheep. He knows each one of us by our names. He knows each one of us for our unique gifts and talents and, yes, even our frailties. Not only does God know your name, but he also says it. Like he singled out Moses on the mountain top by name, He is speaking your name and calling you to Him. I believe there is nothing more vital and valuable for you to understand than this profound truth that: “God knows my name and His favor is upon me.”
Jim L. Wilson said it this way, “Take a moment and consider that the God of the universe who put the stars in place, who determined the boundaries of the seas, who created gravity and every living thing not only knows your name—He calls you by name.”
I grew up surrounded by God. He was in my home, school, after-school activities, and a HUGE part of my Sundays. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t know or recite from my heart that Jesus was my Lord and Savior. But, although I grew up surrounded by God-fearing and God-loving people, it wasn’t until years later in my twenties that I can remember Jesus calling my name and reminding me what it was to be a Christian. Although Jesus had spoken my name before, that moment was like a thunderclap. I was at my lowest ebb, my darkest hour, and my most sin-stricken time. I remember Him saying, “Lee, it’s time to come home.”
At the time, I thought it meant leaving my sinful, money- and career-centered life in Salt Lake and returning home to Spokane. But only later did I realize God was asking me to come back to Him. That’s when I started He’s The Solution and rededicated my family, my professional life, and my personal life back to God. He said my name, and I heeded his call.
God is saying your name too. Maybe it’s a whisper in the dark or, as in my case, a thunderclap upside the head, but He IS saying it. He never stops saying it. You just need to stop and listen.
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…HE CALLS HIS OWN SHEEP BY NAME AND LEADS THEM OUT.
