God Calls Us By Name
Whatsoever Series
Philippians 4:8 says “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
Whatever is lovely? The Lord is our shepherd.
“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.”
~ Psalm 23 (KJV)
“I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.”
~Psalm 34:4 (ESV)
“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”
~1 Peter 5:7 (NIV)
“Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”
~Psalm 139:23-24 (ESV)
There is a profound, tangible power in recognizing someone’s voice when it calls our name. A loved one. A pastor. Our Great Shepherd. Why do we recognize their voice? Because we’ve spent a lot of time with them, hearing their voice.
How does this help our families and our students? Let me give you a story.
Because of my seat location in the plane, I was one of the very last to disembark. I was navigating the changeover to our group’s next gate and security by myself in a foreign country. As I was checking the departure boards to find our next gate, I heard my pastor’s voice call my name through all the noise around me. With the chaos of activity around me, my focus on the boards in front of me above my head, and the distance he was away from me, there is no physical way I “should have” heard him. But I did. My inner ear recognized his voice above all the other noise. I am confident in saying that I wouldn’t have heard him if I didn’t know his voice!
Church, community, fellowship, and relationships are God’s spaces. It is where we learn to recognize His voice in the hope that friends and family members share to encourage us through the challenges and struggles. It is through regular, consistent time with Him in prayer, reading Scripture, and praising Him that we spend a lot of time with Him.
Your son or daughter is in the middle of their current schedule, registering for the next flight of classes, and they may be wondering if they are in the right major. If there can be anymore noise around them, they are also living away from home, practicing what it is to be an adult, sharing space with roommate(s), braving how to ask questions in class, and quite possibly, struggling with a sense that they’re not going in the right direction. The stress can be overwhelming. The human stress response takes over – will they freeze, fight, or run?
Help them to still their mind. Breathe slowly, in and out, for a minute. Two minutes, if longer is needed. As they slow their breathing, their body’s tense muscles will begin to relax. Read Psalm 23. Keep breathing. Allow God’s words to fill their thoughts. Sometimes, talking together on the phone can be even more emotional and intense. If that’s where your student is right now, consider texting them so that they can go back to it throughout the day or night.
This works for us as parents, too!
As Apostle Paul says, think on these things.
Meet the Author
Tamatha Anthony
Assistant Director