1167) Between my 11th and 12th grade years of high school, I went on a summer missions trip with Teen Missions, International. I remember the long bus ride that took me from my home in Virginia to the untamed land that Merritt Island, Florida was in the early 80s.
When the bus finally pulled into boot camp–a place we would be trained for two weeks to do what our summer mission assignment was, I got off with a fearful heart. As soon as my foot hit the ground, I heard my name. This got my attention as I had no name tag on.
When I found the eyes of the woman who called me, she immediately asked me how Virginia was when I left. I was speechless. Here was a stranger who knew my name and where I lived. (I found out later our team leaders memorized our pictures and basic information about us so we would feel entirely welcomed.)
This brief scene from my life meant so much to me and to read in Isaiah that God does things like this but on an even greater level. He not only knows my name, he formed and designed me to do the very specific things I would be asked to do for him.
God knows you by name and calls you to be His. Now, that makes you important and a priority to God. Rejoice! Isaiah 43:1
