He Knows Your Name

It started with a paper airplane.

I was approached by a little boy at the park one day. He was no older than five or six. With wide-eyed curiosity, he asked what I was reading. I told him, “The Bible.” 

Intrigued, he asked, “What’s the Bible?”

I replied, “It’s a book that tells us about Jesus, the Son of God.” 

His eyes lit up with recognition as he exclaimed that he had heard of Jesus, and in fact, at his home on his wall hung a cross.

Even with his limited understanding, I couldn't help but smile at his curiosity. He went on to tell me his name, but added that he disliked it. It wasn’t cool enough, not like the superheroes he admired. After comparing our worst drawings of his favorite superhero and making paper airplanes, this precious little boy wrote his name on the airplane I had made for him, and told me to keep it so that I would not forget him.

And I haven’t. 

Our time at the park culminating in that heartwarming gift of his paper airplane reminded me of something profoundly human: our deep desire to be known and not forgotten.

What’s in a Name?

It’s nearly impossible to go through life without a name. From the moment we’re born, our names become our first identifier. Before we can speak, crawl, or think for ourselves, our names become central to our identity. It's how others recognize us and how we recognize ourselves. Our names are as personal to us as our DNA is unique. It's no wonder we take it personally when someone forgets, mispronounces, or mocks it. And for some, our names carry meaning that reflects the hopes of those who named us.

Unlike our DNA, however, names can change. They shift with life's seasons, through marriage, reinvention, or to suit our preference. In a world that constantly shifts, names can feel as fluid as identity itself. So it’s no surprise that in a time when identity is so fluid, many people feel unanchored in who they truly are. 

Albert Einstein once said,

“In a world where you can be anything, be yourself.”

It begs the question, how do we begin to discover who that self really is?

Known Before You Were Named

Perhaps, the answer lies in our very beginning. Babies in the womb can't name themselves. They have no concept of names or their identity or destiny. Their parents however, have already envisioned the various possibilities of names that would suit them. The signing of their birth certificate seals their name choice. But above even our parents stands One who doesn’t just envision possibilities, He foreknows.

“For You formed my inward parts; You knitted me together in my mother’s womb…Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.” —Psalm 139:13, 16

You were seen before you were shaped.

You were known before you were named.

You were loved before you were born.

Names Matter to God

In Scripture, names aren’t just identifiers. They’re declarations of purpose and destiny.

• Adam meant “mankind”—the first human.

• Eve was “mother of all living.”

• Noah meant “rest”—he would bring relief from toil.

God also changed names to reflect transformation:

• Abram became Abraham—“father of many nations.”

• Sarai became Sarah—“princess.”

• Jacob became Israel—“he who wrestles with God.”

  
  

These were not mere name changes, they were divine revelations. They revealed how intimately God knows each person in ways no one else can. The name He gives us is unchangeable, and in fact, eternal.

“He who overcomes will be clothed in white garments, and I will not erase his name from the book of life.” —Revelation 3:5

Marked by His Name

Through Jesus, God has adopted us as His own. And with that adoption comes a new identity, marked by God's own name.

“They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.” —Revelation 22:4

Our desire to be known is not a mere accident. It's a divine imprint on our souls, a quiet echo calling us back to the One who formed us.

That precious little boy wrote his name down on a paper airplane so that I wouldn't forget him. If only he could understand that the God who created him already knows him, He wants to write his name down in a place far more permanent, where he will never be forgotten. 

You Are Not Forgotten

Maybe you fear being forgotten, unknown, and unseen.

Hear the words of the Lord in Isaiah 43:1,

"I have called you by name; you are Mine."

You are not random. You are not a mistake. You are not unseen. If you have repented of sins and put your faith in Jesus Christ, then know this:

You are known—by the God who knew you before the foundations of the world.

You are wanted—by a Father who gave His Son so He could bring you near to Him.

You are never forgotten—your name is written in the Book of Life, eternally secure with the loving Father.

Who You Are and Whose You Are

In a world where names and identities are like shifting trends, may you find peace in the unshakable truth of who you are in Christ Jesus. And may your identity be anchored not in what others call you but in the One who calls you His. 

“For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for My sheep and look after them.” —Ezekiel 34:11

He is looking for you. He is calling you by name. When you return to Him, you will never be forgotten.  

A Closing Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you that you see me, You know me, and You call me by name. Because of Your merciful kindness through Jesus Christ who died for my sins You have given me a new identity as Your child. Help me to rest in the truth that I now belong to You, so that I don't give way to fear or anxiety that comes from trying to place my identity in what others think of me. Help me to walk in confidence that I am fully known and fully loved by You. And when temptation or testing comes may I find my anchor in You, the One who never forgets, never lets go, and never stops calling me home. In Jesus' name, Amen.