SOMEONE KNOWS YOUR NAME

To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. John 10:3.

     Peter Marshall, born in Scotland, was one of America's well known ministers. He allowed God's voice to guide him throughout his life. One night in his childhood he decided to take a shortcut across the moors on his way home. The area was noted for limestone quarries. He was familiar with the terrain and felt he could safely navigate his way.
     Though the night was starless and inky-black, he set out through the rock and heather. Occasionally a moor fowl fluttered up noisily. Otherwise, he was very much alone in the night.
     Suddenly he heard a voice call out with great urgency: "Peter!"
     Halting, he called back into the dark, "Yes, who is it? What do you want?"
     There was no response, just a bit of wind over the deserted moorland. He concluded he'd been mistaken and walked on a few more steps. "Peter!" he heard again, this time with an even greater urgency."Peter!"
     He stopped in his tracks, squinted into the blackness of the night. Who was there? He leaned forward, stumbled, and fell to his knees. Reaching out a hand to the ground before him, Peter felt nothing but thin air. A quarry! Sure enough, as he carefully felt around in a semicircle, he discovered that he was on the brink of a limestone pit. One more step and he would have plummeted to his death. One more step - if he hadn't heeded God's voice, his life would have ended. Out there on the desolate moor Someone knew him, and Someone cared.
     God knows our name. We are not some cosmic blur in the universe. God fashioned us. God made us. God created us. We are His. He cares. He loves. He knows us personally. We matter to Him. At times we may feel alone, but He is always there, calling our name, calling us into the security of His arms. Calling us home.
     Ellen White writes, "Jesus knows us individually, and is touched with the feeling of our infirmities. He knows us all by name. He knows the very house in which we live, the name of each occupant. He has at times given directions to His servants to go to a certain street in a certain city, to such a house, to find one of His sheep" (The Desire of Ages, p.479).
     Jesus loves us that much. What troubles us troubles Him. What bothers us bothers Him. What hurts us hurts Him. We are His children. His interests are linked with ours. Nothing that in any way concerns us escapes His notice. Let your heart rejoice in His personal, intimate, loving concern today.