READ: PSALM 147; ISAIAH 40:10-12, 25-31; MATTHEW 10:26-31

Stargazing is one of my favorite things to do with my sister. We try to identify the planets and look for the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper and Orion, but our favorite stars to look at are the small V-shaped group. In it are two stars that look close together. We refer to them as our “bestie stars.”

Standing in the night, looking up at the stars, reminds me how powerful and loving God is. To imagine that God calls each one by name every night is mind-blowing. Isaiah 40:26 says, “Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.” And Psalm 147:4 says, “He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.”

If God knows each star by name, how much more does He know you or me? Our heavenly Father calls each of us by name too. He knows our names, ages, thoughts, dreams, and feelings. No detail of our lives is too small for Him to notice. God knows each of His children so well that He even knows the exact number of hairs on our heads (Matthew 10:30).

Yes, our heavenly Father knows you and me, just like He knows each of the stars by name. And He calls us to Himself, just like He calls the stars. • Erin Snyder

• How does it make you feel to think about God knowing you by name, and knowing even the smallest details about you?

• God loves you more than you can imagine. The truth is, you are even more important to Him than the stars. How do we know? Jesus is God the Son, sent by the Father to be the good shepherd who “calls his own sheep by name” (John 10:3). Because of His great love for us, His sheep, Jesus calls us to Himself, and He died and rose again so we could live with Him for eternity. If you want to dig deeper, read Psalm 139; John 10:1-30.

Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. Isaiah 40:26 (NIV)