We’ve all experienced that dreaded moment: you move to greet someone you’ve met before, and your mind scrambles to remember their name… and you come up empty! Wouldn’t it be nice to avoid this floundering moment? Unlike our limited minds, God knows every person’s name.
Names are important because they convey identity and meaning.
Think of the biblical example of David and Goliath. The word David may bring to mind a humble shepherd boy who became a mighty king. The name Goliath may make you picture oversized armor and an intimidating warrior. All of this is visualized simply by referencing their names and associations with them.
Identity
God’s Word provides two gifts: insights into God’s names and identity and insights into our own identities.
The Lord declares in the Scriptures: “But now, this is what the Lord says — he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine’” (Isaiah 43:1 NIV).
No matter what you experience in life, the creator of the universe sees and knows you. This is a powerful reminder to ourselves and those around us.
Even Jesus received a reminder of who He was before His public ministry on earth began. We see this in the Gospels as Jesus enters the water to be baptized. The heavens part, and God says: “…You are my Son, whom I love; with you, I am well pleased” (Mark 1:11 NIV). If the Father saw the need to acknowledge Jesus’s identity publicly, how much more must we be reminded and affirmed of who we are?
In our world today, I would argue that more people than ever have lost their identities — they don’t know who they are, where they come from, and whose they are. Many people don’t know the loving God who created them.
As a leader of an international ministry called OneHope, I have the opportunity to hear stories about children who are impacted by the truth of God’s Word. Erick is a teenager living in an African village. He was an outcast in his own community. He felt like he would never amount to anything. As an orphan, he had no family to rely on. Then, he received God’s Word and learned there was more to his story. He had destiny and purpose inside of him. Erick is no longer defined by the names his village was calling him, like orphan and outcast. Instead, through God’s Word, he learned his new identity. He’s a child of God. God has always known Erick’s name, but now Erick knows his identity.
Names
The Bible also reveals names for God, which we could spend a lifetime pouring over in Scripture: Savior. Father. Prince of Peace. Creator…and many others. God longs for us to spend time with Him and get to know Him better.
Names carry significance.
One of the greatest gifts we can give to those around us is the gift of reminding them who God is and how He knows them by name.
Rob is President of OneHope, a global ministry committed to catalyzing a movement to engage every child in the world with God’s Word. Rob is also Chair of Come Near (He Gets Us.) and a member of the Board of Trustees for the Come and See Foundation (The Chosen). His mission statement in life is to “build young leaders and serve great leaders.”
Read more by Rob Hoskins at goodnewsfl.org/author/rob-hoskins/
