David wrote in Psalm 147:4, “He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.” Scientists estimate our observable universe contains over 200 billion trillion (called a sextillion) stars. It is difficult for us to fathom how large the universe is. It’s like a fly trying to understand how far it is from New York City to Dubai.
God not only found the time to create 200 sextillion stars, but He also named all of them. Why would He do that? Because names really matter to God. When God created the first humans, He called them Adam and Eve. They weren’t merely man and woman—they had personal names and mattered to God. And then God brought all the animals to Adam so he could name them.
When you have a name, you have a purpose, a destiny, and a sense of value. We name just about everything we care about. We name our children, pets, and stuffed animals. Many people even name their cars and musical instruments. We name our cities, states, and nations. Alexander the Great named seventy cities after himself.
In the movie, Cast Away, Tom Hanks named his volleyball Wilson because it was the only friend he had on the deserted island. We tend to name anything important to us. When you name something, you humanize it and attach meaning and value to it.
Before your parents named you, God already named you and wrote a book about you. David wrote in Psalm 139:16, “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” In this book, God wrote your skin tone, eye and hair color, height, personality, natural abilities, and destiny.
Have you ever wondered: Does God care about what I am going through? Does He see my pain and my struggles? Does He even notice me?
God said in Isaiah 49:16, “See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands.” God loves you so much that He engraved your name like a tattoo on His hand. You are special to Him, and His eyes are always upon you. God sees you and knows you personally. He can spot you in a crowd of eight billion people and call your name. Just like a parent can spot their child on a busy playground full of hundreds of kids.
The Lord said to His people in Isaiah 43:1, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” God is on a first-name basis with you—no other religious leader can make that claim. Your name evokes incredible emotion and affection in His heart. And God says you are mine—you belong to Him. You are God’s, and He is yours. And what’s His is yours. Isn’t that comforting?
You don’t know the names of strangers, but you always know the names of the people you care about. That’s why we must get to know people’s names and pray for them by name, like the neighbor who lives three houses down.
When you pray for your loved ones, you pray for them by name because they matter to you. In the same way, every person matters to God. He knows their stories, pain, fears, doubts, and dreams. And He wants them to matter to us enough to pray for them by name.
When you pray for people by name, it’s nearly impossible not to care about them. Every time you lift their names to the Father in prayer, God puts more of His love in your heart for them.
So, here’s your challenge: Take five minutes a day to pray by name for five people you know who are far from God. As you pray, ask God to give you opportunities to listen to them, eat with them, serve them, and share the Gospel with them.
Who are your five? Can you take a break and pray for them right now? Ask God to save them, heal them, deliver them, transform them, and use them for His glory.
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Brian Alarid is the President of World Prays and the Chairman of Pray For All. He is the author of two books: When People Pray and By Name. Brian serves on the leadership team of the FTT prayer task force. You can contact Brian at [email protected] or follow him on social media @BrianAlarid.
