Day 1 — Called by Name

“But now, this is what the LORD says—He who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine!’”

— Isaiah 43:1 (BSB)

Have you ever been in a big crowd and suddenly heard someone call your name? You turn around, and there’s someone who knows you, waving and smiling. In a sea of strangers, being known feels wonderful.

Names matter. When someone remembers your name, it tells you that you matter to them. When someone forgets it, or calls you by the wrong name, it can sting a little.

God spoke today’s words to His people Israel at a time when they felt forgotten and afraid. And look at what He said: “I have called you by your name; you are Mine!”

God isn’t a far-away ruler who only knows people as numbers. He knows each of His children by name. Your name. Not just your first name, but everything about you: your favorite color, the song stuck in your head, the thing you worried about last night, and the dream you’ve never told anyone.

Notice what God says first: “He who created you… He who formed you.” God is the one who made you. He didn’t make a mistake with your face, your personality or your story. He shaped you on purpose.

Then He says, “I have redeemed you.” To redeem something means to buy it back, to pay a price to make it yours again. That’s exactly what Jesus did on the cross. We had wandered away from God because of sin. But Jesus paid the price to bring us back. That’s how much God wanted you to be His.

And then those three wonderful words: “You are Mine.”

Before you’re anyone’s friend, anyone’s teammate, anyone’s classmate, even before you’re anyone’s daughter on earth, you belong to God. That’s the most important thing about you. Nothing anyone says, and nothing you do, can change the fact that He knows your name and calls you His.

So when you feel invisible, or like you don’t matter, or like nobody really knows you, remember: the King of heaven calls you by name.

Think about it: What does it mean to you that God knows your name and calls you “Mine”?

Try this: Write your name in the middle of a page in your journal. Around it, write “Created by God,” “Formed by God,” “Redeemed by God” and “God’s.”

Dear God, thank You that You created me and formed me. Thank You that Jesus paid the price to make me Yours. Thank You for calling me by my name. When I feel forgotten or afraid, help me remember that I am Yours. In Jesus’ name, Amen.