Él Sabe Su Nombre (He Knows Your Name)

I’m told that the Hebrew word for name as used in the Scriptures means more than a title; it is the very essence of a person. It signifies their thoughts, actions, desires, fears, goals, hopes, dreams, how they were formed in their mother’s womb, what sort of ice cream the like, their favorite movie, their occupation, their hobbies, and the number of hairs on their head.

When I was interning in Monterrey, Mexico…

I had the amazing opportunity to play with the kids from Casa Hogar Douglas. At least three times a week, we worked at the children’s home and horsed around with the niños! As our time there grew, so did our relationships with the kids.

As soon as we could exit our white Toyota pick-up truck, the kids would run towards us, screaming our names: “Jose! Jose! Jose!”

I cannot describe how special that made me feel each time we arrived. Because I could not speak Spanish, my medium of communication was body language. In these situations, though, we all spoke the same language. Their smiling faces running towards me spoke volumes, because while we came to pour our hearts into our concrete job, they came to let us know that we were appreciated (and that they wanted us to play with them)! I can remember thinking, Wow. They remembered my name.

Then, this thought hit me like a speeding train: if I, a random teenager from north-east Ohio, feel so special that a Mexican kid remembered my name, I wonder what Marcos, Magali, Gustavo, Rosario, and Jorge feel like when I remember their nombre?

In the same way…

The Lord knows our names. He knows your thoughts, actions, desires … In Isaiah 43:1, the Lord declares, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine.”

Just as Marcos would run towards me, calling my name (and stroking his hair into a fohawk so that he could look like me), the Lord runs towards you.

Spend time with Him and get to know His name. There is no greater joy.