Named and Called

“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”—which means, “God with us” (Matthew 1:23).

I want to share with you my “ah-ha” moment from today because I think we all suffer from Bible blindness at times. I have read this scripture for decade and yet I missed something very important in the words; that is until this morning.

Do you see it? Until today I totally missed it! Mary and Joseph named Him Jesus but they (that includes you and me and the rest of history) will call Him Immanuel—God with us. So, there is a vast difference between a name and what we are called. I get so excited when scripture comes alive.

My given name is Maureen (Mo) but one calls me Mama, three call me MoMo and I am also referred to as teacher, piano teacher, sister, co-worker, friend, cousin, aunt, writer and even more I probably shouldn’t mention. I know who I am and I am okay with all of it. But what matters most to me is that I am called His precious child.

I have found that when the timing is right, He reveals truths that we have thoughtlessly skipped over during previous readings. Please understand that I am not saying we are ignorant by any means but we tend to miss the deeper meanings when the world’s agenda yanks us into the day. We have our quiet time but our mind is not open. We rush through because we have appointments, deadlines to meet, activities to get to, etc. Sometimes I think it would be better if we did not have our devotion time rather than hurrying through just to finish.

Have you figured out that God cannot be rushed or moved along by our personal timeline? How silly of us to think we can think our “hurry up” thoughts and not have it affect our relationship with Him. One of the greatest offerings of praise that we can offer is the sacrifice of our time. Tune out the world and just sit with Him for a spell.

Hear Him call you His precious child and tell you He loves you. Be assured that He is with you. What a great way to start the day— together!

He Knows My Name with Francesca Battistelli

Father God, You are so patient with me! Thank You for the newness I find when I spend unhurried time with You. AMEN.