As I was reading through God’s Word, an amazing revelation came to me. God knows my name! I know many of you are thinking, “What’s the big deal?” Yes, of course God knows your name. He is the one who created you. Or perhaps, some of you may be thinking, “Why does it matter if God knows your name?” Here is truth. God wants you to know that He knows your name because He wants you to know He cares about you, but even more than caring, He loves you. His love for us isn’t based upon conditions, but on His unconditional love toward us.
Luke 19: 2-10 is the account of one man’s life who had an encounter with God and his life was forever changed.
“A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd.” First, notice, Zacchaeus did not know Jesus. Scripture clearly states he wanted to see who Jesus was but was hindered because of the crowd. How many times do we want to see who Jesus is, but can become hindered by circumstances around us? Or perhaps, we want to know who this Jesus is, but because of false theologies, we can’t see Him for who He truly is?
God’s heart is for us to be responsive like Zacchaeus was. In verse 4, it states, “So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.” There are times in our lives that we will need to make a heart decision. Do we allow ourselves to remain in the circumstance, or will we choose to pursue Him no matter the cost?
Zacchaeus chose to pursue God. He wanted to know who He was. He wanted to know truth about Him. God wants us to choose to pursue Him like Zacchaeus did that day. Zacchaeus went ahead of the crowd. Sometimes, dear one, you will need to move away from others who are negatively impacting your view of God. I’m reminded of another man who climbed the mountain to be with God. His name was Moses. He just like Zacchaeus wanted to receive greater revelation of who God truly is. It is the same for us. God desires for us to meet with Him daily through His Word so He can speak words of encouragement, hope and love into the very depths of our souls.
Zacchaeus not only moved away from the crowd, but he climbed the sycamore-fig tree. In order to climb, one must be focused, have determination and strength. It is the same for us and our walk with God. We need to refocus on what is truly a priority in our lives. God should be our number one focus, then everything else. Secondly, we are going to need determination. Life is full of distractions, causing us to be swayed in one direction to another. We must have a determination like Zacchaeus and decide nothing is going to get in our way of understanding who God is and the relationship He desires to have with us. Lastly, we are going to need strength, but I’m not referring to physical strength. I am referring to the discipline He desires to instill deep within us. The discipline God desires to cultivate within our lives is not for us to respond to Him out of requirement, but out of pure love and devotion towards Him.
The moment Zacchaeus had been waiting for finally arrives. In verse 5-6 “When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.’ So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.” Here are two men who never met, yet Jesus called Zacchaeus by name. This was a God-divine appointment. How often do we think we need to do certain things before God would even notice us? Or how many times do we feel like we don’t matter to God? Or perhaps, we feel like we need to have it all together before God would ever speak to us? Yet, just as Jesus was revealing His character to Zacchaeus, He also wants to reveal His character to you. He is the God who knows you by name. He is the God who is seeking you out to spend time with you, just like Jesus sought out Zacchaeus. He is the One who says to you, “Your frame was not hidden from me when you were made in the secret place.”
He is the Beginning and the End – The Alpha and Omega who is, who was and who is to come. He not only knows every detail about our lives before they come to pass, but He wants us to realize He knows us. He knows our name. If the Creator of the Universe knows each star in the galaxy by name, how much more are we to Him who was created in His image?
The final point God desires for you to realize is that He longs to speak to you personally. Just as Jesus called Zacchaeus to come and meet with Him, God longs to speak directly to you. He wants to speak to you through His Word. He wants to speak to you through His Holy Spirit. He may use His creation, or at times, through dreams and visions. Bottom line, God wants to talk with you!
He wants to be engaged in every detail of your life. I know some of you are questioning whether or not God really desires to be that involved with your life. However, the answer is true. God is a very detailed-oriented God. When He created the heavens and earth, it was done with order and detail. When God gave Moses the instructions for the Tabernacle, it was done with order and detail. God’s character is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He does not change. He desires to be involved in the details of our lives, both big and small.
So the question will be, will you respond to God like Zacchaeus responded to Jesus? Will you gladly welcome Him to be involved in all aspects of your life? If you do, your life will be forever changed by the One who came to seek and to save what was lost.
In Him,
Melissa