Chosen and Called By Name

The word chosen in the Greek is ‘𝘦𝘬𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘪’ 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘯𝘦’𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧. 𝘊𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺. 𝘛𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘺 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦.Before the foundation of the world, the Father saw you amongst so many; He picked you out for Himself, and He called you by name!

Psalm 139 is an incredibly beautiful Psalm. Verses 14-16 say this: “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” The Great, Almighty God saw you before you were formed, and He fashioned your days, every single one of them, writing them in His book. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘆𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗙𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗮𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂, 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗲 𝘀𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂!

Of course, there’s always a question, ‘Why did you choose me?” The obvious answer to that and the simplest is because He loves you. He loves you and has a plan for you. But there is so much more than that! “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should remain, that whatsoever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.” John 15:16

You are chosen and appointed to bear fruit, fruit that will remain. The Father has a plan for you to leave behind a legacy of change. “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9. You cannot even begin to imagine the incredible plan God has for your life. You cannot conceive of the wonders He has prepared for you!

In John 1, we read the story of Jesus ‘finding’ His disciples. Verses 45-51 tell the story of how Nathanael became one of the twelve. At first, Nathanael seemed a little irritated and unconvinced that anything good could come out of Nazareth, but in verse 48, Jesus says to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” I saw you! He saw Nathanael long before Nathanael even knew about Jesus. Chances are that Nathanael was sitting under the fig tree praying, as that is where many young rabbinic students would go to pray. Chances are that he was even praying for a Messiah, as the hope of the coming of the Messiah was on everyone’s mind. Students were taught, ‘he who, when he prays, does not pray for the coming of the Messiah, has not prayed at all!’ Nathanael knew when Jesus said, “I saw you under the fig tree,” that standing before him was the answer to his prayers, the Messiah, the coming King, the King of Israel!

So too does Jesus see You. His gaze is kind, and His intentions are good as He looks at you and says, “I saw you; I chose you!” He chose you long before you were born and saw you long before you had ever heard the beautiful name of Jesus. Chosen. You are chosen.

Reflections

What stirs in your heart and emotions to know that your choosing was not absolutely random but intentional, and even more than that, before the foundation of the world?
Have there been times in your life when you struggled with the question, “Why would God choose me?” How does Jesus’ assurance that you were chosen and appointed to bear lasting fruit speak into that area of insecurity?

Like Nathanael praying under that fig tree, where has Jesus “seen” you in those places you thought were hidden, times of heartfelt prayer, anguish, disappointment, or those seasons of endless waiting—before you even recognized His faithfulness and work behind the scenes? How does knowing that He saw you help you trust Him today?

Step-by-Step

Take time today to sit quietly with God and pray your own “fig tree prayer.” Tell Him about areas where you feel unseen or small. Write down one way you sense Him saying, “I see you. I chose you.” Allow that truth to reshape your identity into one that is Chosen!