“The shepherd knows his sheep.  He calls them by name.

When we see a crowd, we see exactly that, a crowd.  Filling a stadium or flooding a mall.  When we see a crowd, we see people, not persons, but people.  A herd of humans.  A flock of faces.  That’s what we see.

But not so with the shepherd.  To him every face is different.  Every face is a story. Every face is a child.  Every child has a name.  The one with the sad eyes, that’s Sally.  The old fellow with one eyebrow up and the other down, Harry’s his name.  And the young one with the limp?  He’s an orphan with no brothers.  I call him Joey.

  The shepherd knows his sheep.  He knows each one by name.  The shepherd knows you.  He knows your name.  And he will never forget it.  I have written your name on my hand (Isa. 49:16)”

Excerpt from “When God Whispers Your Name” by Max Lucado