Your Name is Known!

Jesus said, ‘However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written (known) in heaven.’ (Luke 10:20) When I was 21 years old, my lovely Mum, Emily, died of cancer. It was a sad yet glorious season. A few days after she passed away, I received a snail mail letter.

In it, a dear older friend shared a vision she had had at the exact time my Mum passed away-1:10 a.m. She saw a beautiful garden; it was very peaceful and beautiful. There were doves flying around and God was calling out to her, ‘Emily! Emily! Come home!’ I was so grateful to receive that letter. A month earlier, I was reading in Revelation, the last book in the bible:‘But nothing unclean will ever enter it (the city) nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.’ (Rev. 21:27) While reading this, a whisper came,’ Lesley your Mum’s name is in that book’

My Father God took time out to comfort a very sad 21-year-old that he knew my Mum by name and was calling her home. Interestingly, In Luke’s gospel, we read about Jesus sending 72 folk, two by two, on a mission trip. They came back excited and said,’ Even the demons submit to us in your name! His debrief after their mission was not what they were expecting! After giving them some more teaching, he brought them back down to earth after their successful mission by saying: ‘However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.’ (Luke 10:20)

Fellow Christian, do you know that you and I are known! By name! That our names have already been written down in the Book of Life? Jesus was telling his disciples to rejoice that their names were written in heaven. I felt quite challenged reading that! Do I ever take time to rejoice that my name has been written in heaven? That my name is known?  That my name has already been written in the Lamb’s book of life! Wow!

Father, whatever we are going through right now, may we learn to rejoice that we are known in heaven and that our names are written in the book of life! Amen! 

Cover photo by Carlos Derecichei on Unsplash