Recently, I was flipping through my journal and found entries from almost exactly a year ago. That day, I was a big ball of emotions and not the favorable kind. I was worried, anxious and overwhelmed.

People I cared about were going through a challenging time and I felt like I was failing them. I look back at those entries and they are a list of worries, questions and feelings of inadequacy. Yet also throughout that entry is a theme of God calling me to trust Him. 

I worried and worried, but all the worry in the world never did much good. I still remember as I was writing those worries out and asking God how I could trust Him with these precious lives, this song played in the back of my mind and grew until I couldn’t hear my worries anymore:  

“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 hears me when I call.”

Walker, Tommy.  He Knows My Name. Hosanna! Music, 2000.

Yes, God knows me, but He also knows the names of those I care about. Before I ever knew them, before they even knew themselves, God knew them. I can trust that God made them exactly how they were meant to be. He sees them just as He sees me. He cares for them more than I ever could.  

The next day, God gave me this verse, “He calls his own sheep by name” (John 10:3). He knows us by name. We can trust that even when we don’t know all the inner workings of a person or how to best love or support them, He knows. He knows our wounded hearts, our tired minds, our feeble bodies, our empty wallets, our precious hopes, our deepest pains. He knows us and nothing could be better than knowing Him. We can trust in Christ’s love for us and those we care for. He knows my name and yours.  

Experiencing God:

• Is there someone you are worrying about today? What would it look like for you to trust God with that person? 
• What does it mean to you that Jesus calls you by name? 

Supporting Scripture:

“He calls his own sheep by name” 

John 10:3

“See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are!”

1 John 3:1