Phone Directory

Some time ago I wanted to phone a lady called Clare who had been away on holiday and find out how she got on. I had two entries for her name in my phone's address book. I called them both. The first one was an answer machine, the second one was a lady called Ros. Undaunted I texted Clare's mother Janet. I had three possibilities for Janet but each of them had a surname attached so I confidently messaged the appropriate Janet. She replied saying she didn't know anyone called Clare. I tried messaging another Janet but it was the same Janet who didn't have a daughter named Clare, or maybe it was another Janet who didn't have a daughter named Clare. By now I couldn't remember which of the Clares I'd called incorrectly and which I'd left a message for. I went back to the Janets, having corrected the second Janet's name. Unfortunately she now had the same name as the first Janet who didn't have a daughter named Clare either and I couldn't remember which number had got me through to which Janet. I never found out whether Clare had a nice holiday but I did know that I'd invited someone without a daughter named Clare round for coffee the next day. Nobody turned up.
I was reminded that God never gets mixed up about who calls him or who he calls, Isaiah 40 encourages me to look at the sky and see that the creator 'brings out the stars one by one and calls them all by name. Because of the greatness of his might and the strength of his power, not one of them is missing.' In John 10, Jesus says that he 'calls me by name, that he knows me, that he gives me eternal life, that I will never perish and that no-one will snatch me away from him.' Jesus might know a lot of Shirleys but he never mixes me up with another one and he never makes me leave a message.