“For a shepherd enters through the gate. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they recognize his voice. They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t recognize his voice.” John 10:2-5 (NLT)
Well, there it is in God’s own words. He is a personal, intimate care-giver. When we go into the marketplace, we see crowds of people; very seldom do we even look at the individuals. We see groups of faces we do not know. All generally alike. None unique or different.
But our Shepherd sees our uniqueness. He sees individual faces. He knows our stories. He leads his children, each with a name that he knows. “he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” Every one matters; each one precious. “See, I have written your name on my hand (Isaiah 49:16a).”
Our name may never be known by the world’s masses. It may never be praised by our colleagues and friends. Perhaps our name has never been spoken with kindness. It may be difficult for us to believe that God cares for us much less knows our name. He does! When we receive Christ as our personal savior, he inscribes our name on his hand. That is how important we are to God. We are not a number to him. We are not just one of so many others. He leads us personally and knows us by name. Oh, he is the best Shepherd!
Dear Father, thank you for your grace and mercy, which you give to us personally. Grant to us today that we may know you more intimately. This I pray in Jesus’ name. AMEN
Let us praise God for his personal attention and live to his glory,