To Know My Name

“Ashile, Ashile!”  

I heard my name being called by such a sweet little voice, so I turned around to see Mariam at my feet. Her smile beamed, and I scooped her up and swung her around into my arms as she laughed with delight.  

I, too, beamed with delight because she was the first one to call me by my name. When I walk on the streets in Yako, I getted called “Nasara, Nasara!” (white person, white person!) all the time. Ashli is a hard name for them to pronounce, nevertheless remember and repeat. That’s why it meant so much to me that little Mariam would remember and call out my name.  

Later that evening, as I processed and reflected on my day, I kept thinking about that moment and how my heart had swelled at the sound of my own name. Why does that make me feel so good? Why does that mean so much to me? 

Then I remembered how often in the Bible God expresses His deep desire for His name to be made known among the nations. Maybe, just maybe, God feels something beautiful, holy, and precious when His children call Him by name. Maybe God spins around and scoops us up as soon as we call out to Him, and maybe His heart bursts with delight when He hears His name on our lips. Maybe that is worship.

And then just think: God knows each and every one of us by name. He knows the names of all the people in the world, even when they do not know His name, because He created them each with His own hand.  

I wonder, what name does God call me? What name has He chosen for me? Ashli is the name given to me by my parents, but is that what God calls me when I run into His arms? Maybe that’s what Revelation means when it talks about us getting new names in heaven. Perhaps it is not really a new name as much as it is learning our real name, the name by which God has known us and called us all along.  

No wonder God is so passionate about His name. No wonder He wants the nations and peoples of the earth to know it. His name is Glory. His name is Life and Light. His name is Truth. His name is Shepherd, Satisfier, Sustainer, Savior. At the name of the Lord, the heavens shake. When the name of the Lord is proclaimed, the elders and creatures fall down and worship. At the name of Jesus, every knee will bow and every tongue confess. And when we call God by name, He picks us up and swings us around and lands us safe in His great big arms of love.