Meditation
John 20:11-18
If you were in a crowd and someone called out, “Hey, you!” you would probably ignore it. After all, you would have no way of knowing that person was looking for you. But if you heard your name being called, you would at least turn around to see who was calling out. Nothing grabs our attention like hearing our name—whether it’s in a doctor’s waiting room, in a classroom, or at a dinner table.
When Jesus first addressed Mary Magdalene as “woman,” she didn’t recognize him (John 20:15). But when he called her by name, she turned toward him, and in that instant she knew that the man standing before her was Jesus, her Savior, who knew her and loved her. Imagine how she must have felt, seeing him alive! She had witnessed his painful death on the cross, had seen him laid in the tomb in a burial shroud; now he stood before her, alive, and said to her, “Mary!” Her weeping ceased, and she was filled with joy.
Great men and women of the Old Testament heard the Lord call them by name as well. Appearing in a burning bush, God called Moses and commissioned him to bring the people of Israel out from Egypt (Exodus 3:4). When he heard God’s voice speaking to him, Abraham was empowered to leave everything behind and take up a long journey to an unknown land God had promised to give him (Genesis 12:1-3).
Through his prophet, God promised all of us that he would give us a new name. No longer would we be called “Desolate” and “Forsaken.” Instead, we are to be called, “My Delight” (Isaiah 62:4). Can you let the Lord show you how he delights in you? Can you let him show you that through Christ he has drawn you to his side and made you into a new creation? Jesus wants to call you by name every day. When we listen to his voice, as Mary did, our hearts will be warmed by his love, and our minds will be filled with his truth. We will see the direction in which we should go. And we will be strengthened to meet life with courage.
“Jesus, I delight in your love. You are my good shepherd. Teach me how to hear your voice in every situation. Keep me close to you.”
Acts 2:36-41; Psalm 33:4-5,18-20,22
Thanks be to God.....
