God Knows Your Name

“To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.” – John 10:3

My father was an identical twin. Born in the San Juan Islands long before babies were fingerprinted, my grandparents were concerned about mixing the boys up. A blue ribbon was tied around the wrist of the firstborn twin, and the ribbon was never taken off . . . except for bathing. You can guess what happened. One day, my grandmother had a young lady helping her bathe the twins and the blue ribbon was off. Then the women realized that both of them were sure they were holding the firstborn. Grandmother's opinion was honored, but it became a family joke that neither twin was sure of his name.

Down through the years, my dad and his brother continued to look alike, and many times people were confused about which twin they were talking to. At times, each would answer to the other's name, and they took mischievous delight in keeping people guessing.

God, of course, was never confused about which name belonged to each twin, because God knows every one of us by name. No fingerprint or DNA is necessary to prove identity, and there will never be any confusion with Him. Not only does He know our names, He knows everything about us, including how many hairs are on our heads.

The focus verse says that the Good Shepherd calls His sheep by name. What a comforting thought! When we are facing difficulties or going through hard times, our names are on His lips and His heart carries our concerns. He does not have us confused with someone else, nor has He forgotten the circumstances we are in.

Maybe sometimes you feel insignificant or unnoticed, but remember, God knows your name. Perhaps you have been betrayed or mistreated, but God sees you and has your name in His mind. Each of us can look to the Lord today and realize He knows our names and has an interest in what happens to us every moment.