READ: ISAIAH 43:1; 49:13-16; 53:5-6; JOHN 20:24-27

Have you ever had something with your name on it—like a keychain, a necklace, a bag, or a jersey? Do you have a hard time finding things with your name on it? Do people sometimes forget your name or pronounce or spell it wrong?

Our names are important to us. We’re alert to the sound of our own names. Have you ever heard a stranger say your name in a crowd, or even just something that sounds like your name? It catches our attention immediately! And names don’t just serve the practical purpose of helping us communicate with others; they can also tell us something about our history. Whether that be what our name means, where it came from, or how we got it.

Names are important to God, too. In Isaiah 43:1, God says, “I have called you by your name. You are mine.” And in John 10, Jesus says He is the Good Shepherd who calls His own sheep by name (verse 3, 11). The fact that God knows each of us by name shows how much He loves and cares for us. In Isaiah 49:16, He even says our names are engraved on the palms of His hands.

That’s a striking image! Have you ever written something on your hand so you would remember it? When God said our names were engraved on His hands, He meant it literally. When Jesus went to the cross, He let them drive nails through His hands. And when Jesus rose from the dead, He still bore the scars on His hands. Those scars will be there for all eternity as a reminder of His great love for us. He was willing to go to the cross, to take all our sins upon Himself, so that we could be with God forever. We are that precious to Him. First Peter 2:24 says it this way, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness. You were healed by his wounds.”

God knows you by name, and He loves you so much. In Christ, we can always remember that our names are written on the palms of His hands, now and forever. • A. W. Smith

• Do you know the meaning or story behind your name? What do you like or dislike about it?

• Even if people forget your name or pronounce it wrong, God will always remember your name, and He always says it perfectly. How could this truth bring us comfort when we feel unseen or forgotten?

“Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.” Isaiah 49:16a (WEB)