Scripture Reading: Psalm 139
Neither my wife, Beth, nor I expected a dog as a wedding gift. Yet the yellow lab, Doberman pinscher, and German shepherd cross pup which was presented to us on the eve of our marriage became a highly prized possession.
However, there was a glitch. We had absolutely no idea what to name this gold-colored canine. During the course of hour honeymoon, my parents kept the little (but growing) dog. Despite our periodic debating, we just couldn’t come up with a name we both liked. That is until we returned to pick up the pup.
My folks, having gone on an errand, were not at home when we arrived. Even so, my mother had left a brief note which simply said, “Tom and Beth, your nameless dog is in the basement.”
We both hurried down the stairs to see how much our little critter had grown. And that’s when it happened. One of us (thankfully neither of us now remembers who!), called out, “Come here, Nameless!” We simultaneously looked at each other. The naming of our nameless dog was settled. It had to be “Nameless.”
Now admittedly, “Nameless” may not be much of a name. Nevertheless, the dog learned it, we liked it, and it was certainly different.
Recently a woman wrote to us saying, “I grew up with an unusual name. That meant no pencils, toothbrushes, mirrors, etc. with my name on them! My name was just too different so they didn’t have anything for me.”
Now, you may have a common name or maybe it’s rather unique. Whatever the case, the Creator knows you. Best of all, He has something for you. This has been the case down through Bible history. For example, the Lord knew Sarah’s name when she laughed in unbelief. He asked her husband Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, “Will I really have a child, now that I am old?! (Genesis 18:13). The Lord then went on to ask, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (Genesis 18:14). The lord not only knew her name, but also her lack of faith. Eventually she became the mother of Isaac.
Later on we know that the Lord called Moses by name from a burning bush on an isolated backside of a desert (Exodus 3:4). Surprisingly the Lord did this when it would have seemed that Moses’ life as a leader was all washed up. After all, he was eighty years old! Even so, God had a great work for Moses to accomplish with last third of his life.
And how about Saul, the persecutor of the church? The Lord Jesus spoke to him by name of the Damascus road (Acts 9). As a result, Saul (whom we also know as Paul) was converted. In time, this same individual ended up writing about half of the New Testament!
Friend, no matter what your name may be, God knows it – and how it’s spelled. If you know Jesus Christ, your name is already recorded “in the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:27). You’re not nameless and God has a specific calling for your life!
© 2000 Tom Rakow. All rights reserved. Taken from Devotions for Dog Lovers ©. Dr. Rakow is the President of The Christian Deer Hunters Association (CDHA) and Rock Dove Publications. He has granted permission for us to post his devotions. They publish several other Christian devotions in booklets. CDHA's address is P.O. Box 432, Silver Lake, Minnesota, 55381. Their phone number is 320-327-2266. http://www.christiandeerhunters.org is their Web address. Rock Dove’s phone number is 1-888-HIS-DOVE. Their Web address is http://www.rockdove.com. Randy Rowley will be happy to check out a Rock Dove booklet (Devotions for Dog Lovers or The Story of the Prodigal Pooch) or a CDHA newsletter or devotional booklet ("Devotions for Deer Hunters" Volumes II, III, or IV) to FCS members only.