He Knows My Name Series

There’s an old riddle that asks this question: “What is it that belongs to you, but other people use it more than you do?” THE ANSWER: Your name.

Your name belongs to you, but you rarely use it except to tell others who you are. We like it when other people say our names, because our names are important to us. We like to have people know our name because when they don’t know our name, we can feel unnoticed and unimportant. But when people remember our names, we feel valued.

Even God’s name is important. In the “Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught His disciples to pray “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be… THY NAME.”

You know, the Lord’s prayer is one of the most beloved prayers in Scripture. People have memorized it, and recited it, for centuries. One boy who was memorizing the words of that prayer and was overheard saying: “Our Father who art in Heaven, how’d you know my name?” Everybody in the room chuckled and his mother was embarrassed. But noticing her embarrassment, the preacher smiled and said “Oh, Ma’am - don’t let that bother you. Your son was right: God DOES know his name.”

God knew that boy’s name, and God knows your name too. Which means you really matter to God. (PAUSE)

In Isaiah 43:1 we’re told: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you BY NAME, you are mine.”

In the Gospel of John Jesus said: The sheep hear (the shepherd’s) voice, and he calls his own sheep BY NAME and leads them out…. "I am the good shepherd. I KNOW MY OWN and my own know me..." John 10:3 & 14

God knows your name. In fact, He’s got it written it down. In Revelation we’re told that (when we’re saved) OUR NAMES WERE WRITTEN DOWN in the Lamb’s book of life. (Revelation 20:15)

In fact, God not only knows your name, He knows everything else about you. He has an exhaustive knowledge of every aspect of your daily life and thoughts. Psalm 139:1-4: says "O LORD, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.”

God knows you! He knows your thoughts, and your location. In fact, even before you say something - God knows it. And even before you were born… God knew everything about you “(God) formed (your) inward parts; (He) knitted (you) together in (your) mother's womb." Psalm 139:13

We have a song that we sing in 1st service… that echoes that truth. And if you know it… sing it along with me:

“I have a Father; He calls me His own. He'll never leave me, no matter where I go; (Chorus) He knows my name, He knows my every thought. He sees each tear that falls, And He hears me when I call."

I like that song. He knows my name. He knows my every thought. He sees each tear that falls - And He hears ME when I call. You and I are THAT important to God. (PAUSE) One person put it this way: “If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it.” (Max Lucado)

(PAUSE) Now… not only is God the God who knows your name; He’s also the GOD who will ALWAYS be with YOU.

Psalm 139 says: “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,’ even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.” Psalm 139:7-12

Anywhere you go… God’s gonna be there! You can’t go any place that God won’t be there for you. And that’s important, because He’ll never be far away. He’ll always be near when you need Him the most. That’s the promise God made us in Hebrews 13:5 - “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

ILLUS: I read about a 2-story house that caught on fire. The family was making its way out of the house when the smallest boy became terrified, and tore away from his mother. He ran back upstairs into one of the bedrooms, and suddenly, he appeared at a smoke filled window. The boy was crying hysterically, and his father shouted, “Jump, son! Jump! I’ll catch you.” The boy cried out “But daddy, I can’t see you” and the father called out “I know. But I can see you.” (The Ragamuffin Gospel, Brennan Manning)