Our Daily Bread: Beyond Camp Family EditionSample

God Remembers Names

Being at camp often allows us to break out of our comfort zones—trying new things and meeting new people.

Just one Sunday after I’d started working as a youth leader at a church and met several young people, I spoke to a teen seated next to her mom. As I greeted the shy girl with a smile, I said her name and asked how she was doing. She lifted her head, and her beautiful brown eyes widened. She too smiled and said in a small voice: “You remembered my name.”

By simply calling that young girl by name—a girl who may have felt insignificant in a church filled with adults—I began a relationship of trust. She felt seen and valued.

In Isaiah 43, God uses the prophet Isaiah to convey a similar message to the Israelites: They were seen and valued.

Even through captivity and time in the wilderness, God saw them and knew them “by name.” They were not strangers; they belonged to Him. Even though they may have felt abandoned, they were “precious,” and His “love” was with them.

Along with the reminder that God knew them by name, He shared all He would do for them, especially during trying times. When they went through trials, He would be with them. They didn’t need to be afraid or worried because God remembered their names.

God knows each of His children’s names—and that’s good news, especially as we pass through life's deep, difficult waters.

Katara Patton

What hard things have you faced recently as individuals and as a family? How can focusing on knowing God knows you by name help you walk through trying times confidently?

Thank You for knowing each of us by name, dear God.