Devotion / Known by name

What's in a name? This is a famous quote voiced by Juliet in Shakespeare's classic romantic tragedy. She is contemplating the power of names when it comes to the feud between her family and Romeo's.

Names are powerful. I was talking to a friend who decided not to attend a certain school because of the name her brother had made for himself there. She did not want to have to live down the name and reputation he had made for her family.

Parents often think long and hard as they name their children. In 2024, the top three baby names for boys and girls in the U.S. were Noah, Liam, and Oliver along with Olivia, Amelia, and Emma.

In China, the naming of children is hugely important. One source asserts that a child's name is not only a symbol of cultural and family heritage, but also a denotation of parents’ ideals, beliefs, and expectations. That can be a lot to live up to! [If you're wondering, the most common Chinese family name combination is Zhāng Wěi, followed by 王伟 (Wáng Wěi), 李娜 (Lǐ Nà), 王芳 (Wáng Fāng), and 李伟 (Lǐ Wěi).]

 Psalm 147:4 reveals that our almighty God determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. That's amazing! High-tech discoveries tell us that about 9,000 stars are visible to human eyes. Experts estimate, though, that the average number of stars in a single galaxy is 200 billion stars! And they guess there's over 200 billion galaxies! That is truly an astronomical number...

Isaiah 40:26 reiterates this truth and asks us to lift up your eyes and look to the heavens. Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.

In the verse immediately before this, the prophet says this same God of our universe heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds (Isaiah 40:25). Think about that! This God who accounts for billions of stars and the entire universe cares about your broken heart! He knows you by name in a way so personally that he knows you down to the number of hairs on your head. (Matthew 10:30; Luke 12:7)

Ever feel unnoticed or insignificant? Like, who cares? Rejoice today because the most powerful being in the universe knows and cares for you. He deeply loves you. This awesome God came down from heaven to rescue you from the sin that separated you and cut you off from anything but an eternal destiny in hell.

Praise God that he knows you by name. Likewise, he has called you to know himself, the Lord Almighty, by his name (Jeremiah 31:35).

by Dave Payne