When God Calls Your Name

But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. Isaiah 43:1 ESV

Bundled against the freezing Midwest dreariness, I burst into my house, and without removing a single item of wintry protection, collapsed into the couch. The wet, snowy trail I left behind normally would have prompted a quick flurry of activity to dry and protect the hardwood floors, but today I hardly noticed.

I’d moved halfway across the country with my four young children, so our three daughters, born with profound hearing loss, could undergo surgery to receive cochlear implants and attend a school where they’d be trained to speak. My husband, a fighter pilot in the Air Force, had managed to secure a one-year assignment about six hours away, so he could join us on weekends.

Although we were starting to see great benefits from the school, I was overwhelmed with the daily demands of parenting and facilitating communication between our four “littles.” But what really surprised me was the pain of loneliness. Adjusting to an unfamiliar city without the nearby support of family, friends, military community or church home was harder than I expected.

I poured out my heart to God. “Thank you for leading us to a place where our girls are finally getting the help they need. I’m grateful for Your presence and care. But Lord, I’d really like to talk to a physical person. Please send someone who can understand, someone who won’t feel burdened by our story or feel they have to travel across the country to help.”

After skimming through a mental list of names, I gave up and told the Lord, “If you want someone to call me, You’ll have to figure it out.” As I prepared to drive to a nearby bakery for some comfort food, my phone rang. A woman from a church we’d recently visited explained the reason for her call, “For three days God’s whispered your name, telling me to call you, but I kept putting Him off because I didn’t know how to help. But today, when He started shouting your name at me, I could no longer ignore Him.”

This dear older woman had four grown children, three of whom were also deaf. Her husband had been in the military, and they had moved to this same city for the same reasons we had. God sent me a precious new friend who could understand our complicated story. The wisdom, insight, prayers, and laughter that flowed through the phone were a healing balm to my heart.

After I hung up, I fell to my knees stunned by this extravagant outpouring of God’s intimate care. “Lord, I can’t believe You love me enough to arrange a phone call from just the right person at just the right time. You started orchestrating it three days earlier, because You knew precisely how long it would take!”

My new friend never could have imagined how her one simple act of obedience would become my favorite reminder of God’s faithfulness and love.

God’s Word reminds us: when the overwhelm of life makes us feel isolated, we don’t have to be afraid, for the Lord knows our names. The One who created us, who formed us, who redeemed us, is deeply invested in our stories (Isaiah 43:1). His fingerprints are on our very souls (Psalm 139:14). Our names are inscribed on His hands and on His heart (Isaiah 49:16). Before a word is on our tongue, the Lord knows (Psalm 139:4). Before our needs arise, the Lord has positioned the perfect provisions (Matthew 6:8).

What a comfort to know our Lord is not only immensely powerful, but also intensely personal.