GOD KNOWS YOU BY NAME

Many of us have a view of God as this magnificent being in the heavens, pure and far removed from the earth, sordid as it is. Yes, God is magnificent, He dwells in the heavens and He is pure. But He is also everywhere and He is with each of us, His children, because He chooses to be.

God is near us, He is with us, and He knows every detail of our lives. One of the first signs that someone knows another is if they know his or her name. Well, believe it, my dear: God knows your name. He knows your first name and your surname. He even knows your middle name and your nickname (if you have any of those).

Friend, you're not a stranger to God. He knows you by name. That also means He will not forget you when He is sharing blessings to His children. We just came out of the Christmas season. Gifts were packaged and labelled in families so that each person could identify the gift/s specially chosen for Him or her.

That is how God specially prepares what He has for you and puts your name on it. Don't fret if things seem slow or scattered. God Has plotted your path and has placed what you need at appropriate points along the way. Each package has your name on it and will serve just the right purpose in your life.

See yourself like Moses to whom God made the following statement:

"... I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name." - Exodus 33:17 

Moses had begged God to go with the children of Israel as they travelled to the promised land although they had been repeatedly disobedient to His commands. And God said He would do it because Moses had found favour in His sight and He knew him by name.

How do we find favour in God's sight today and ensure that He acknowledges us by name? By receiving His Son, Jesus, of whom He declared during His time on earth:

"Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." - Mark 1:11

Receiving Jesus makes us children of God.

"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name"- John 1:12.

Then God our Father will know and call us by name and answer when we call on Him.

Amen in Jesus' name.

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The scriptures used in this post are from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.
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If you have not accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, pray this short prayer:

PRAYER FOR SALVATION:
Almighty God, I repent of my sins and ask you to forgive me. I receive the work Jesus did for me by shedding His blood for my sins. Write my name in the Lamb's Book of Life and send your Spirit to live in my heart and teach me your word. I receive the grace to live a life that honours you henceforth in Jesus' name. Amen.

Now, you are born again. Join a Bible-believing group of believers to help you learn, through studying the word of God and prayer, how to live and practise your faith. You are blessed in Jesus' name.

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http://edithohaja.com/the-anchor-holds/

http://edithohaja.com/12-quotes-on-gods-faithfulness/

KEEP PRAYING (God is hearing you)

There are times when we ask ourselves the point in praying any more when we haven't seen the results from our previous petitions. It can be discouraging when we have believed God for many years for the salvation of loved ones, healing or provision, etc. and nothing seems to be happening.

Our situations may not be pleasing but we shouldn't doubt the faithfulness of God because of them. God sometimes takes time to respond to our petitions and even when He does, the answer may not be exactly what we asked for. But we can be assured that whatever He does for us is the very best whether it seems so or not.

"O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come." -  Psalm 65:2

Besides, that we are not aware of the answer does not mean that God has not done anything. I once read of a woman who was praying for her wayward daughter and worrying that God wasn't responding, not knowing that the Spirit of God had convicted her daughter where she was drinking in a bar in a distant city and she was in the process of turning her life around. 

Do you know that some people go home to be with the Lord before the answer to their prayers manifest? Abraham and the other patriarchs, for example, were gone for centuries before their descendants took possession of Canaan, their land of promise. 

"These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth." - Hebrews 11:13 

God knows when and how best to deliver the answer to our petitions. Remember David's anguished cries to God because of Saul's pursuit to kill him?

"1. O LORD my God, in you do I take refuge; save me from all my pursuers and deliver me,  

6. Arise, O LORD, in your anger; lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies; awake for me; you have appointed a judgment."  - Psalm 7:1 & 6 (ESV)

David prayed for the destruction of His enemies, and who was a greater enemy than King Saul who was hunting him down with an army? Yet whenever Saul fell into David's hands, he spared him. (I Samuel chapters 24 & 26) And when eventually Saul died in battle, David mourned him profusely as shown in the verses below taken from 2 Samuel, chapter 1.

"19. The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen!

21. Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain, upon you, nor fields of offerings: for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil.

22. From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty.

23. Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions. 

24. Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with other delights, who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel.

27. How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!"

That is the kind of heart David had. He really didn't want Saul to be destroyed, he just wanted to be safe. I'm tempted to think that God delayed judgment on Saul because of David's love and respect for him. Sounds weird, doesn't it? But these are the kind of complicated calls God makes when he answers prayer. He takes into account what our mouths are saying and the often discordant tunes from our hearts. Eventually, He does what will be for the ultimate good of everyone involved.

So do not give up, child of God! Maintain your right standing with God and keep praying. God is surely hearing you and in His due season, the answer will manifest.

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The scriptures used in this post are from the King James Version of the Holy Bible except where otherwise stated.

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(Those I'm calling children of God are those who have accepted Jesus as their Saviour and Lord.

"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name" - John 1:12 

Ask Him into your heart today and become a partaker of the assurances in this post and in the Bible. God bless you richly as you do that in Jesus' name.

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