There is something powerful about hearing your name. It is a heart-warming experience when you walk into a room of strangers, and someone calls your name. Suddenly, you are known; recognised; wanted. Or what about when your name is called from a long list. You find yourself relaxing, knowing that you are in the right place and that you belong. Or that moment when everyone is vying for someone’s attention and they lock eyes with you and say your name! You feel special and important.
I imagine that must have been some of the emotions Zacchaeus experienced when Jesus called his name (Luke 18:5). Despite the bustling crowd, Jesus paused and called for him. Then there was the moment Jesus said Mary’s name and she immediately recognised Him and understood that He had risen from the dead (John 20:16). It was the way Jesus said her name that opened her eyes. There is also that moment when Jesus calls Saul’s name on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:4). Despite persecuting believers, Saul was known by Jesus and was personally addressed. His life was never going to be the same!
In John 10, Jesus describes Himself as the Gate Keeper who knows His sheep by name:
“The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”
John 10:3 NLT
Jesus leads His sheep by name. Our Jesus knows us. He knows our name. How humbling to understand that the One who is holy and over all things knows our name. The fact that Jesus knows our name, speaks to the importance of knowing other people’s name. A couple of months ago I was sitting with a group of teenage girls in Mafambisa, one of our communities in South Africa. We were talking about Jesus as the Good Shepherd. We pointed out that Jesus knows their name. We then went around and said each of their names adding ‘Jesus loves you’. At the end, one of the girls exclaimed ‘you know us. You know all our names’. Something shifted in this young lady. She was no longer just another kid at the Care Point (place where they gather each day), she was known.
A couple of weeks later, we were sitting together again. There was a poster on the wall with some of the partners for Mafambisa. One of the girls inquired who they were. I was able to tell them that they were people from the UK who prayed for them by name. The girls were shocked, ‘people in the UK know our names and pray for us?’ What was even more precious was that this conversation had come after a moving debrief session around the loss of a young lady in their community. They had expressed the fact that they felt disrespected as young woman and fearful at times.
In that moment, I realised the importance of this situation. Here were a group of girls who often felt powerless, overlooked, and used but we were able to tell them that God’s people in the UK were praying for them! Their names were regularly being lifted up to the throne of grace. They were not forgotten.
It also reminds me of one of my visits to Mozambique. I was in Macadeira, one of our communities who are partnered with Hands Australia. I noticed that our Care Workers (our local volunteers) had yellow bands on their wrists with the names of partners from Australia. One particular band caught my attention. It was on the wrist of the Coordinator, Maria and contained the names of my parents. I asked Maria if she knew who they were. Maria was so excited when I told her that they were my parents. She then asked me to pass a message on to them. She wanted them to know that she prays for them by name every day. I was deeply humbled. Maria from a remote village in Mozambique, who cares for over 150 children, was praying for my parents in Sydney Australia.
Here is the beauty of the body of Christ at work! We are building the Kingdom of God together. We do this by praying for people by name. No distance or COVID-19 restrictions can stop us calling out on another’s behalf. We can bring the love of Jesus by praying by name for the vulnerable, the lost and the broken across the world. They may feel forgotten but we will remember their name and cry out to God on their behalf. This is our privilege.