God Knows

Sometimes when I think about God, my head spins.  It spins when I consider the idea that God is aware of every molecule and DNA that exists in the universe.  My head actually hurts when I contemplate the idea that God knows every mosquito or fly that exists or ever existed.  Why do I have such stupid and useless ideas?  It’s because the Bible tells me that God knows every star and put each one in its place (Psalms 8:3, 147:4) and Jesus tells me that a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without God’s knowledge (Matthew 10:29, Luke 12:6).

Why ponder such ridiculous ideas?  It’s because when I consider that in the midst of the 8 billion people alive today, God is not only aware of my situation, but He even knows the joys and the cries of my heart.  This makes my head stop spinning, my heart stop pounding, and my blood pressure go down.

God knows.  This is an astonishing, marvelous, and comforting thought.  David was in awe of this thought.  David pondered, “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and stars, which you have set in pace, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?” (Psalms 8:3)

I join David in his contemplation.  As great and mighty as the LORD is, He thinks about me.  He considers me.  He cares for me.  He values me.  He loves me.  I can’t wrap my mind around it and I don’t understand it.  But it doesn’t matter.  I believe it and accept it—God knows.  That suffices.

Morals

A few days ago Sarah and I were discussing people.  Sarah said that she could not believe how inconsiderate some people were, and even worse, she said that some people were inconsiderate on purpose.  She sighed, “I could never do that.”

I said, “You know what your problem is?”  She said, “No.”  I told her, “You have morals.  If your parents did not teach you morals . . .”  “I could be a jerk like everyone else!” she completed my train of thought.  We both laughed.

I understand where Sarah’s coming from.  “Jerk” is a very kind word to describe these kinds of people.   I can think of better and more accurate words to call them.  However, like Sarah, I have a Heavenly Father and Brother who has set a standard for me to live by and they’ve told me that I should not resemble the disgusting people I encounter.  Instead, They tell me that I should be a reflection of Them.

I guess that’s okay and have submitted to Them only because of the way that They’ve treated me—as Dave Ramsey would say, “Better than I deserve.”

Adapted Prayers

One of the things that I struggle with spiritually is my prayer life.  I’ve also heard that many, if not most people struggle in this area of their spiritual lives as well.  Over the years, I’ve developed a list of things to help me with my conversation with God.  One of my prayer starters is something I call adapted prayers.  I take prayers from the Bible and use them for my own.  Sometimes I change the pronouns and adapt the words to my circumstances.  This is what it looks like:

O LORD my God,

I am only a little child

and do not know how to carry out

my duties or live out my life.

Your child and servant is here

among the people You have chosen—

a great people.

Give Your child and servant

a discerning heart

to counsel, encourage, and inspire

Your people

and to distinguish

between right and wrong.

For who, except Jesus, Your true child,

is able to lead, guide, and arouse

this great people of Yours?

—Adapted from I Kings 3:8-9