When I was reading Patrick Rothfuss' fantasy novel "The Name of the Wind" last week, snatches of the melody and some words (".... call your name ....") of a hymn kept up a refrain in my mind. Hmmm ..... was this hymn one of the worship songs led by Pastor Carol during Sunday service a while ago?A search of the internet yields the following lyrics of the hymn "I heard the Lord call my name":
(1st stanza) I heard the Lord call my name,
listen close you'll hear the same.
I heard the Lord call my name,
listen close you'll hear the same.
I heard the Lord call my name,
listen close you'll hear the same.
Take His hand we are glory bound.
(2nd stanza) His word is Love, Love's His word,
that's the message that I heard .....
(3rd stanza)I felt His love from above
settle on me like a dove .....
(4th stanza)And to the Father all your dayswith the Son and Spirit praise .....
(Interlude) Put your hand in His and you will know
He will show you where to go .....
The Lord Jesus calls us by our name. He is our Shepherd and we are His sheep. In the Gospel of John, Jesus tells the parable of the shepherd and his sheep (John 10:1-18). The shepherd calls his own sheep by name and the sheep listen to his voice. He leads his sheep out of the sheep pen, going ahead of them. His sheep follow him because they know his voice. The good shepherd owns and loves the sheep, guards and protects them, and lays down his life for them.
Jesus is the good Shepherd who has laid down His life for us, His sheep. He lays down His life so that we can have life eternally and abundantly. When we believe that Jesus has laid down His life for us and calls on His name, we are saved (Rom 10:13) and our "names are written in heaven" (Luke 10:20), in the "book of life" (Phil 4:3, Rev 20:12).
Psalm 23 captures beautifully all that our Lord, the Good Shepherd, does for us:
- He gives us green pastures and quiet waters, restoring our soul.
- He guides us in our journey through life and death, protecting and comforting our body and mind.
- He anoints us with goodness and love all the days of our life as we dwell in His house, blessing and uplifting our spirit.
Thanks be to the Lord Jesus, our good Shepherd who calls us to be His own; all glory and honour to Him!
