[MajestyJo]

HE CALLS THEM BY NAME

By Max Lucado



When I See a flock of sheep I see exactly that,
a flock.
A rabble of wool.
A herd of hooves.
I don't see a sheep. I see sheep.
All alike. None different.
That's what I see.

But not so with the shepherd.

To him every sheep is different.
Every face is special.
Every face has a story.
And every sheep has a name.

The shepherd knows his sheep.
He calls them by name.

When we see a crowd,
we see exactly that, a crowd.
Filling a stadium or flooding a mall.
When we see a crowd, we see people,
not persons, but people.
A herd of humans.
A flock of faces.
That's what we see.

But not so with the Shepherd.
To him every face is different.
Every face is a story.
Every face is a child.
Every child has a name.

The Shepherd knows his sheep.
He knows each one by name.
The Shepherd knows you.
He knows your name.
And he will never forget it.
I have written your name on my hand
(Isa. 49:16).

Quite a thought, isn't it?
Your name on God's hand.
Your name on God's lips.
Maybe you've seen your name
in some special places.
On an award or diploma or walnut door.
Or maybe you've heard your name
from some important people-
a coach, a celebrity, a teacher.
But to think that your name is on God's hand
and on God's lips . . . my, could it be?

Or perhaps you've never seen
your name honored.
And you can't remember when
you heard it spoken with kindness.
If so, it may be more difficult for you
to believe that God knows your name.

But he does.
Written on his hand.
Spoken by his mouth.
Whispered by his lips.
Your name.