You know who will never say that to you? God! He calls you “Emily” or “Jack” or “Tom,” or whatever your name is—because He knows you. Every name matters to Him.

In the Bible, God named Adam. Then He told Adam to name all the animals. Sometimes, He changed people’s names to reflect His purposes for their lives.

Just imagine being Abram. Genesis tells the old man’s story. Abram followed God, without knowing where God was taking Him. Abram’s name was already a little funny. It means “exalted father.” But Abram didn’t have even one child! You can bet he was surprised when God said, “Your name shall be Abraham.” Abraham means “father of a multitude”! The new name showed that God was about to do the impossible: make an old, old man the father of the Jewish people, and the spiritual father of everyone who would one day have faith in Jesus.

You might have noticed that the Bible is full of names—sometimes long lists of names that are hard to pronounce. When you come to these lists, do your eyes glaze over? These lists (called genealogies) tell us something important. God pays close attention to every person—past, present, and future. The genealogies also trace the path of God’s work. Through all those people, He eventually brought Jesus into the world.

God knows where you are and why you are there. He knows your name and has reasons for making you who you are. You have your whole life to find out what those reasons are! It is a great adventure—because all His purposes are good!

“But now thus says the LORD, He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.”—Isaiah 43:1