Daily Devotional for June 12, 2010

June 12 ~ Isaiah 43:1
Descendants of Jacob, I, the LORD, created you and formed your nation. Israel, don't be afraid. I have rescued you. I have called you by name; now you belong to me.

Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.

When we first got our cats, they were just weeks old… tiny babies, really. We brought them home and looked at “the girls” and decided on names. We thought about Lucy and Ethel – and our calico even had patches of reddish fur. But in the end, she was Mabel, and the “tuxedo” cat became our Lucy. We would call them by their names, and they would totally ignore us. They did not recognize these sounds. Their names were as unfamiliar to them as were their new owners. But we kept working at it. We would stroke their fur and call their name. We would play with them, toss something to them, and call their name again.

Today, our “babies” are eleven years old. And they know their names. We call them by name, and they answer. There is no confusion. We rescued them from the pound and gave them a name, and they are precious to us. They belong to us… they captured our hearts, and we would do just about anything for them.

It’s the same way with Jesus… but times a zillion or more. He rescued us. He gave us a name… and we belong to Him. We are precious to Him… and each of us is uniquely special in His eyes. We may share the same name as dozens of other people (and if you think your name is unique, search for it on Google or Facebook!), but when Jesus thinks of your name, He thinks only of YOU! And He’s got your back – always – forever! Now how can we be afraid with a love and protection like Jesus?! He created us and formed us – He calls us by name, and we belong to Him. He died for us, so that we never have to fear Satan and his evil again. If the One who did all of this for us has rescued us, what could we possibly have to fear?

It’s time for us to hear Him call us… and to answer. It is time to trust and believe in His power. I know it’s hard… Satan will NOT give up and go away. But we have to keep working on kicking him to the curb and trusting God to handle things for us. I’m working on this in my own life…how are you doing?

©2010 Debbie Robus