The Culture of Hope Founded on Faith
He Knows My Name
While shopping recently I was delighted to watch two little girls whose mother was standing in line in front of me. The two girls couldn’t have been more than 3 ½ years old, twins and mirror images of each other. But how different their personalities are one from the other.
The one stood aggressively rattling a plastic bag of gummy candies hanging on the rack next to her until it fell off its hook. The mother gently chided her, taking the bag away from her to replace it on the shelf above. The youngster proceeded to have a hissy fit and ran over to a place about 15 feet away from her mother. When she turned around to see what her mother would do, she ran out of steam, not having raised a reaction from this smart mom.
The other serenely watched as the cashier finished the transaction with the customer ahead of them. As the mother moved forward to check out, she cozied up to her mother’s leg as she moved forward to check out. She stayed there while the other twin proceeded to dance around and make obnoxiousnoises, eventually ending up near the exit door in time to walk out with her mother and sister. What fun to see these two very different personalities play out in such identical little bodies.
They reminded me of Psalm 139:14-16 (ESV), “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works. My soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance. In your book were written every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” God knew each of us before we were even born, while we were yet in our mother’s wombs. He knew the two little twins, how their personalities were shaped, the choices they will make, and the course of their lives even before they were first conceived.
He even knew us by name. Numerous times in the Bible parents were told what to name their children before they were even born, predominantly with pertinent and literal meanings. For instance, Zechariah was told his son would be named John (a derivation of the Hebrew for “favored of Jehovah”), contrary to the cultural convention of naming the firstborn son after his father. Mary was also told in advance to name her son Jesus (“Jehovah-saved”).
There are various versions of the praise song with the title “He knew My Name”. The one by Tommy Walker was my first exposure to it a number of years ago:
“I have a Maker
He formed my heart
Before even time began
My life was in his hands”
I have a Father
He calls me His own
He’ll never leave me
No matter where I go
He knows my name
He knows my every thought
He sees each tear that falls
And He hears me when I call”
The version by the McRaes takes the concept deeper, including Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross:
“Every step that I take
Every move that I make
Every tear that I cry
He knows my name
When I’m overwhelmed by the pain
And can’t see the light of day
I know I’ll be just fine
‘Cause He knows my name
He knew who I was when He carried my cross
He knew that I would fail Him but He took the loss.”
What a comfort it is to know that God knows me, and has had me in His mind, name and all, from eternity.
