He Knows Your Name
by Dean Gardner
Gemma and I each take our dog Henry for a walk each day. Often, we meet other dog walkers and it’s not uncommon for them to ask if their dog can socialise with ours. Normally they say something like, “Can he/she say hello?”. I’ve always found it slightly humorous that during such encounters you can find out the name and age and even the medical history of the dog socialising with yours, but rarely walk away knowing the name of its owner. I suppose that knowing a person’s name is normally the first step to forming a relationship with them, and, in most doggy encounters I’ve described, the dog’s owners aren’t wanting to get to know the other person.
Sometimes, I push through the social barriers while Henry is enjoying a new friendship and introduce myself to the dog’s owner and ask their name as well. I’ve always felt that remembering someone’s name when you see them again can be a way of communicating something of their value to them and may even express something of God’s love for them at the same time. I can’t say I do that perfectly. Sometimes I write people’s names down to try and remember them.
Colossians 1:16 tells us that through Jesus, ‘God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see - such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through Him and for Him’ (NLT). Our verses today from John’s gospel tell us that this same Jesus, through whom the stars were made, calls us by name to Himself. He calls us to follow Him and to find friendship and security in relationship with Him.
A few days ago, I saw a man walking his dog whom I’d met before. As I tried to recall his name, I was blessed as he greeted me warmly by my name. The good news is that God doesn’t forget our names. To any of His children tempted to think that He might He replies:
‘Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you! See, I have written your name on the palms of My hands’ (Isaiah 49:15-16, NLT).
‘He knows my name; He knows my every thought
He sees each tear that falls, and hears me when I call’
(From ‘I have a Maker’ by Tommy Walker)
Dean Gardner worked part time in the Ellel Grange Ministry Office for four and a half years until October 2018 and is now part of the Associate teaching and ministry team. He now lives in Norfolk with his wife Gemma. In 1988 he experienced God`s amazing grace at a carol service and began a journey of restoration and healing with Jesus. He longs to continue that journey allowing God`s truth to change his own life but also to share that truth with others that they too might know Jesus for themselves.
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