Tuesday, March 13, 2012

God Knows Who We Are

See, I have written your name on my hand. Ever before me is a picture of Jerusalem’s walls in ruins.
-- Isaiah 49:16

Sometimes I just feel so small. The world is so big. There are so many people, many with issues and concerns far beyond anything I face. Yet my worries seem big to me. They matter to me.

I am so grateful that God sees me. I am so blessed that God never forgets my name. I am not just another faceless person with an endless list of demands. I am not just another check on God’s to do list. I matter to Him. God cares for me and takes care of me no matter how busy He is.

That is something I find utterly amazing. Why should the God of the universe care about me? When I don’t seem to matter to anyone else, I matter to Him. So do you.

I think we all know God loves us, in that general sort of way. God is, well, God. He loves all of us so much that He sent His Son to die for us. But does He love me? Does He really know me? Does He really bother Himself with the details of my life, my issues, my heartbreaks, my joys?

The answer is yes. YES! I want to shout it from the mountain tops. Just as we want to know the details of the lives of those we love, God wants to know about us. He has written my name, and yours, on His hand. He won’t forget.

Answered prayers are one way we know He cares. Have you ever prayed something in your heart, so fervently, so desperately, knowing that it was an impossibility -- and had God answer that prayer? Have you ever closed your eyes, bowed down in grief, and felt arms surround you in comfort -- and you were alone?

God desires to have a relationship with us. It’s not about following rules and doing good deeds. It’s about loving and honoring God. It’s about seeking Him out and calling Him Savior and friend. It’s about laughter and joy and sorrow and pain. It’s about reaching up and grasping the hand that will never let you go.

God has my name written on His hand. He has your name written on His hand. He knows us, inside and out. He loves us for who we are. We belong to Him. We are His children and we matter so very much to Him.

Monday, February 27, 2012

God Is With Us Always

This is what the LORD says:

“At just the right time, I will respond to you.
On the day of salvation I will help you.
I will protect you and give you to the people
as my covenant with them.
Through you I will reestablish the land of Israel
and assign it to its own people again.” --Isaiah 49:8

One of the most difficult things we face as Christians is the seemingly inconsistency in our walk with Jesus. At times we feel the blood of Jesus washing over us like a spring rain, cleansing us and drawing us so near to Him that we feel His very breath on us. Other times we find ourselves in a vast wasteland of barren dreams and deep insecurities, wondering where He went and how we can possibly bring Him back to light the darkened path our lives have become.

It seems that our faith has failed or, worse, that despite God’s promises He really has left us here alone. Our minds drift to what we might have done to drive God away. Guilt eats at our souls. We feel so lost and alone. We long to feel His Presence once again.

Of course, God never leaves us. He promised He wouldn’t and God isn’t capable of lying. He loves us and cares for. He hasn’t moved at all. He’s right there.

So why do we feel so alone? The answers are as varied as life itself. Maybe we’re stressed by something we haven’t given to Him. Maybe we aren’t trusting Him. Maybe we’ve gotten too busy to spend a lot of time with God. Or maybe we’re heading in a direction we really shouldn’t be going. The list could go on and on.

So how do we get Him back? How do we recapture those feelings of salvation joy and delight in His Presence? We keep going forward. We make time for God, not just talking but listening. We reflect on His Word. We spend time with other believers. And we keep focused on the light.

The darkness never lasts for believers. As scary as it is, as permanent as it seems, really it isn’t. God is waiting and He’ll reveal Himself to us again at just the right moment. He will help us and protect us.

During the course of our lives we’ll have times of spring rains that wash us with the cooling balm of love. And we’ll wander through barren lands that seem never ending. God is with us during the journey, good and bad, light and dark. Hold onto that and know, whether you see Him or not, He is with us always, until the end of time.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

I Matter To God

"See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;" -- Isaiah 49:16

Sometimes I seem so insignificant in this great big world. I do not matter. Who am I, after all? Just a tiny speck among billions of people. If I vanished tomorrow, who would ever know that I even existed?

Then the Word of God reminds me. He would know. He created me. He knew me before I was born, He is with me now, and He will know me after I have left this world to be with Him once again. God walks with me. He notices me. I matter to Him.

So how I live my life matters to Him. He notices when I walk His path. He notices when I don't. How much I owe Him! He created me for a purpose. His purpose. What is that? How do I know what He wants from me? How can I separate His will from my own? How can I drown out the voices around me that pull me in so many different directions? I want to clearly hear His voice. His alone. No one else.

In this world where time goes quickly by, I am nothing more than a passerby. I know that. I matter to others only in what I can provide for them today. I am heard when others have time. I am just another cog that slips into a neat little place, never to venture out. It is just how life is.

I don't worry about it. I have something so much better. God draws me close. He holds out His hand. I look at it and smile. There it is. My name. Written into the palm of His hand. Me! How awesome is that! My God, My Creator, My everything. I matter to Him and He is all that matters.