"But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: 'Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine.'" Isaiah 43:1, NKJV

I totally blanked the other day.  It was one of those times I ran into someone I had met for the first time a few weeks prior, but my brain "wasn't braining" as my kids would say.  I shook the man's hand and took a hesitant guess, "Hi...it's Chris, right?" Swing and a miss.  Thankfully, my new acquaintance was gracious about it.  And thankfully, that happens less frequently than it could.  I really do put in effort to remember names the first time.  Why?  Because calling people by name (the right one!) may be a simple thing, but it's also a powerful thing.  When we are called by name, it goes a long way to communicate value and create a sense of belonging.  

INVALUABLE, NOT INVISIBLE

Friends, do you know that we are of infinite value to God?  Isaiah 43:1 begins with an intentional introduction of who is speaking:  the Creator Himself.  More specifically, He is not just the creator of the far-reaching universe, the heavenly expanses, or the wonders of this world.  He has created you and me individually.  "[T]hus says the Lord, who created you."  He has created us, formed us, and knit our very existence together.  On top of that, our Creator is also our Redeemer, the One who has purchased our freedom not with silver or gold "but with the precious blood of Christ" (1 Pet. 1:18-19)!  No wonder we have no reason to fear!  We are invaluable, not invisible, to our Creator and Redeemer.  But in case there's any doubt of our sense of significance and belonging, God adds:  "I have called you by your name; you are Mine."

Through the years, I've had opportunities to meet a few Adventist leaders and other big-name evangelists that I look up to, people who have had significant influence on my personal growth.  In fact, I've introduced myself to a few of them several times over...because they didn't remember me from previous interactions.  And I don't blame them.  They meet lots of people in lots of places, and I don't expect them to remember me.  On the flip side, when another one of those world-renown Adventist preachers came to town years after we first met and actually called me by name, it made a deep impact.  It was a verbal cue that mutual friendship was possible, not just one-way admiration.  

It replaced my feelings of invisibility with recognition and affirmation instead.

I know it's a small analogy, but don't miss the point.  We are not just a number to a God who has bigger priorities to attend to.  Our Creator and Redeemer values us personally.  As our good Shepherd, Jesus knows us individually (Jn. 10:14) and sacrificially invests Himself to understand our unique stories and needs.  Let this profound description of our relation to God sink in:

"Every soul is as fully known to Jesus as if he were the only one for whom the Savior died.  The distress of every one touches His heart.  The cry for aid reaches His ear.  He came to draw all men to Himself...He cares for each one as if there were not another on the face of the earth" (E.G. White, The Desire of Ages, 480).

That's beautiful.  It's also humbling, but in an inspiring and motivating way.  When God assures us that He knows our name and that we belong to Him, He's also opening the door to two-way relationship.  He's inviting us to reciprocate -- know Him, value Him, claim Him as our own.  Join me in praying that we would rest in the assurance of God's love that places infinite value upon each of us individually.  And as we enjoy our belonging to Him, may we respond in kind.  Let's keep pursuing the God who pursues us and intimately know the God who knows us.