Our yearning: to be cherished as God’s child (Read Isaiah 43:1-7)
As spoken by the prophet . . .
Fear not for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine (Isaiah 43:1).
As seen in Jesus . . .
“How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” (John 1:48)
Now given to you . . .
It had been a while since she worked on our church staff, but that’s not much of an excuse. I called her by the wrong name. Not just once; not just an innocent slip. Repeatedly. Over and over again. She was kind enough to correct me with gentleness and tact. I tried to recover, but the damage was done. I’m not so good with names. Maybe I’ll run into her again in a few months, a totally random meeting in Publix or at the gas pumps somewhere, and I’ll get the name right and redeem myself. Maybe.
God is very good with names, yours included. To be God’s child is to be known personally, by name, in detail. The implications of this are significant. We all know how to sing “Jesus loves me,” but Jesus and Isaiah show us something more than that. We have been summoned by name. We are not simply loved, we are known. Better said, to be loved is to be known.
Many, like Nathanael, are genuinely surprised to discover that Jesus knows them; saw them long before they took note of Jesus; knew them by name long before they called upon his. Our soul yearns for something more than generic religious affirmations about God’s love for humankind. We yearn to be known.
Everything about this day that seems important to you is important to God who has redeemed you and called you by name: the plans you’ve made for next week, the work you’re trying to finish before Friday, the errands yet to be completed. God knows your life as well as your name.
As you pray, allow yourself to be Nathanael in the story from John 1. Imagine Jesus speaking to you and saying “I saw you . . .” Jesus is present with you and sees you in the most ordinary places. And he knows you by name.
Prayer:
In these moments of prayer, Lord Jesus, grant a stillness that allows me to hear you speak my name. And having heard, send me into the world and help me to do all things to the glory of your name. Amen.
As spoken by the prophet . . .
Fear not for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine (Isaiah 43:1).
As seen in Jesus . . .
“How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” (John 1:48)
Now given to you . . .
It had been a while since she worked on our church staff, but that’s not much of an excuse. I called her by the wrong name. Not just once; not just an innocent slip. Repeatedly. Over and over again. She was kind enough to correct me with gentleness and tact. I tried to recover, but the damage was done. I’m not so good with names. Maybe I’ll run into her again in a few months, a totally random meeting in Publix or at the gas pumps somewhere, and I’ll get the name right and redeem myself. Maybe.
God is very good with names, yours included. To be God’s child is to be known personally, by name, in detail. The implications of this are significant. We all know how to sing “Jesus loves me,” but Jesus and Isaiah show us something more than that. We have been summoned by name. We are not simply loved, we are known. Better said, to be loved is to be known.
Many, like Nathanael, are genuinely surprised to discover that Jesus knows them; saw them long before they took note of Jesus; knew them by name long before they called upon his. Our soul yearns for something more than generic religious affirmations about God’s love for humankind. We yearn to be known.
Everything about this day that seems important to you is important to God who has redeemed you and called you by name: the plans you’ve made for next week, the work you’re trying to finish before Friday, the errands yet to be completed. God knows your life as well as your name.
As you pray, allow yourself to be Nathanael in the story from John 1. Imagine Jesus speaking to you and saying “I saw you . . .” Jesus is present with you and sees you in the most ordinary places. And he knows you by name.
Prayer:
In these moments of prayer, Lord Jesus, grant a stillness that allows me to hear you speak my name. And having heard, send me into the world and help me to do all things to the glory of your name. Amen.
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