God Knows Your Name
Your Nightly Prayer for Mar. 10, 2025
by Britt Mooney
TONIGHT’S SCRIPTURE
"Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’ She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, ‘Rabboni!’ (which means ‘Teacher’).” - John 20:16
SOMETHING TO PONDER
When I was a middle school teacher, I quickly realized how I needed to learn the students’ names. Most kids will stop and look at you when you call their name, giving you their attention. So, I would make it a point to learn every name in my classes by the end of the first week. Knowing those names helped establish relationships and class discipline.
God also feels names are important. He often gave names to people, including his Son. And when people had powerful encounters with God, he often changed their names, always reflecting a change in identity and purpose. Abram became Abraham. Simon became Peter. We like to feel seen and heard. From Genesis to Revelation, the God who created all things and knows everything calls us individually by name.
After Jesus’ resurrection, Mary (not his mother) goes to the tomb and finds the stone rolled away. The grave is empty. Then, she meets a man she assumes is the gardener. Finally, she recognizes it’s Jesus, the Lord she loves. What changed? He called her name. And in that moment, Jesus communicated he knew her. And she heard his voice, and his identity also became clear. She even calls him Rabbi, speaking about her personal relationship with him. Knowing our name is part of his character. Out of every religion, only God knows every person that closely, even better than we know ourselves.
This is the Father we have, through Christ. He calls us each by name and knows our past and the good plans he has for our future. All that exists within God is coming near and giving voice to our name. May we draw near to the God who loves us abundantly and intimately, hearing him call us to himself and the eternal promise awaiting us.
YOUR NIGHTLY PRAYER
Heavenly Father,
You know us by name, and you call us personally into a relationship with you. Just like Jesus spoke Mary’s name, and she fully recognized him, help us hear your voice. Call us closer so we can know you fully. Thank you for knowing every detail of our lives—our past, our struggles, and what you have for our eternal future in Christ. Let us rest in the truth we are fully seen and loved by you.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON
1. Was there a time when someone remembered your name, and it surprised you? How did it make you feel?
2. Think about your own name. What does it mean? What are people saying to you when they call your name?
3. Think about the different names God has for you as a believer: Christian, child of God, beloved, and others. Google the different names God has for us in him. What do they say about our identity?
Photo Credit: Unsplash/Amaury Gutierrez
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Originally published Monday, 10 March 2025.
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