Encouragement

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He Knows Your Name (Luke 1:26-31)

“Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And having coming in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you: blessed are you among women! But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son and shall call His name Jesus.”

This is one of the familiar passages of Scripture we focus on as people think about the earthly birth of the Lord Jesus during this time of the year. There are many things we can take from these verses and we will look at some of them over the next few weeks.

Mary was probably very shocked to have an angelic visitation, because she was a simple young girl from a small town, and she may have not expected anyone outside her family and neighborhood to even know her name. However, the Word of God clearly tells us that the angel Gabriel was sent by God to her city and to her house. The Lord knew her name and knew all about her life. She was already chosen to be a part of God’s great plan, and things were happening at the time and in the way they were meant to take place.

I believe there are two things the Lord would have us remember today:
1) God knows your name! You may sometimes feel that you are forgotten or neglected by people, but be assured that you are always on the Father’s heart. He knows all about your life, your struggles, your joys and victories; He sees your heart for Him and how much you want to please Him. He knows you well and sees all the deepest places of your heart. He knows your name – it is written on the palm of His hand!

2) You are a vital part of God’s wonderful plan. Mary would have never expected her life to turn out the way it did, but she had been a part of God’s plan from before the dawning of time. You may be feeling as though your life is not going anywhere or that you are not achieving anything, but God has always had awesome plans for you. Mary was a little girl, unknown by most people, but God knew her and loved her, and called her into greatness when she became the mother of Jesus. He is doing the same for you and is calling you into higher things. He is calling you into deeper fellowship with Him through the power of the Holy Spirit and into all Abba’s beautiful plans.

Dear friend, the Holy Spirit is calling you by name today, as He invites you into the revelation and awareness of the Father’s plans. God has dreams for you which He wants to see fulfilled, and this begins to happen when we say ‘yes’ to Him and step into His love. Mary was not someone ‘big’ in the eyes of the world, but she caught the attention of the King because her life was pleasing to Him. God wants you to know that your life and work are of value and have been noted by Him. You may be a full time mother or a part time nurse, or perhaps you are an artist, a CEO, or the driver of a bus; whatever you do, it is precious to the Lord and you are walking in the fullness of His plan. He is doing great things through your life, whether you see it or not! You are not some anonymous number amongst hundreds of others. You are unique and special, the Father’s holy handiwork, created for His glory and His delight. Everything that has happened in your life up to now has been a preparation for the greater things to come because God has purposed to do great things through you. So rest in the assurance that He loves you, dear friend, and that He knows you well and has called you by name. His beautiful plans for your life will be fulfilled, in Jesus’ mighty name, amen!

Minoli Haththotuwa, 02 December 2014
www.risingonwings.org

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