To Be Called By Name – Beloved Women – February 13, 2020
READ: “But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” (Isaiah 43:1 ESV)
TODAY’S ENCOURAGEMENT: Heard on playgrounds from the UK to the US is a saying which goes, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me.” In case you’ve never heard this old adage, it simply means that negative words don’t hurt you. From your own experiences you might concur that the statement is simply not true. Names have a way attaching themselves, becoming enmeshed in our being. Names shape us, identify us and mark us. They carry weight.
How blessed we are that we belong to the Lord and even while we were still in the womb He called us by name (Isaiah 49:1). And God doesn’t just call us by name based on outer appearance, He calls us according to our potential, just as He did when He changed Abram’s name to Abraham and when Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter.
No matter what people have called us, no matter what we’ve called ourselves, God knows us, loves us and calls us by name. He calls us beloved, child, elect, and friend. In a world with so much labeling and name calling, there is ONE who knows us and calls us by name.
PRAY: Lord, I thank You for knowing me, loving me and for calling me by name. I find comfort in knowing that I am Your beloved and Your friend. I reject the names and labels that have been placed on me l and walk in the liberty of being called Your child. In Jesus Christ’s name, I pray. Amen.
REFLECT: In what ways have names shaped you? Are there any names that you need to let go of?
CONNECT: Find more encouragement from Tyra Lane-Kingsland at www.inspiredtolivefully.com.
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© 2020 by Tyra Lane-Kingsland. All rights reserved.
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