Oakwood Church Fresh Start Women's Devotional Encouragement for Today Hartland Delafield

What’s Her Name…

By Elin Henderson

“Now a certain woman…”

Mark 5:25 (NKJV)

One of the odd cultural things in our African village is the fact that first names are not significant for women. In fact, if you were to walk around the village with me asking the women, “What’s her name,” I doubt you’d find more than a couple who could tell you my actual first name. They would say, “She’s Phil’s wife,” or “The mother of Callie,” or “The mother of Elias.” First names are not that important to them; rather, it’s who you’re connected to that matters, even to the point that some women’s names are unknown except to a few of their family. Since I’m someone who can’t remember people’s names, this culture is custom-made for me. I just have to learn the name of one of their kids and, voila, I have them pegged!

Isn’t it neat that God knows each of these ladies’ names, even when no one else does? How many times does Scripture read, “Now a certain woman,” or “A woman,” or “A notable woman”? Overall, a lot of the women spoken of in Scripture are not named. Yet, God specifically came down, met their need and worked in and through them.

How do we know that He knows them, hears them and cares about the “what’s her names” out there?

• He heals them – Mark 5:25-34 Jesus healed this woman of her bleeding.
• He heals/cleanses their children – Mark 7:24-30 Jesus casts out demons from a woman’s daughter.
• He provides for them – II Kings 4:1-7 Through Elisha, He saves a widow and her son from starvation.
• He restores life – II Kings 4:8-37 Also through Elisha, the Lord restores life to this “notable woman’s” son.
• He forgives them – John 8: 3-12 Jesus forgives the woman found in adultery

And there are many other accounts of His undertaking for what appears to us to be just the “what’s her names…” of Scripture.

More than knowing their individual names, He knows the hairs on their head (Luke 12:7) and captures their tears in a bottle (Psalms 56:8). Every detail of their being, every suffering they pass through, He knows and cares! May we never lose sight of the fact that each woman (or man) we come upon, whose name we may not know, is known by name by God. May the Lord use you to remind them of their significance to the creator God and His desire to be an intimate part of their lives!

Or, maybe today, if you are feeling like just another “what’s her name,” may you be encouraged. Your name and every detail of your life is known by God and He truly cares for you!

GOING DEEPER:
1. Do you have any “What’s her names” in your life for whom you could be praying and looking for opportunities to share God’s love?

FURTHER READING:
Psalms 139

Oakwood’s missionaries Elin Henderson and her husband Phil serve as church planters with New Tribes in Mozambique, Africa. Elin is mother to ten-year-old Callie and eight-year-old Elias.