Category: Broken

You Matter to God

Life can be pretty brutal at times. Sometimes we begin to wonder if anyone really cares about us at all. We feel so invisible at times, we’re more than a little bit curious: Does somebody out there at the very least acknowledge my existence?

Jesus makes this clear. You can be absolutely confident that God not only knows you, he values you highly.

You matter to God!

Whatever circumstances might have you doubting this, put them aside. Whoever might have told you that you are a worthless nobody, shut their words out. Whatever “epic fails” you’ve endured that have eroded your confidence, set those aside. Whatever guilt and history and baggage you carry, place it down and leave it there.

Because Jesus says it again and again and again. In many different ways he states this same truth — the real truth.

But he doesn’t just say it. No, he also acts on the real truth by sacrificing his very own life to convince you of just one thing:

You matter to God! You matter deeply to God.

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (Luke 12:6-7, NIV).

Our Bible reading for Wednesday, April 8, is Deuteronomy 9:1 – 10:22, Luke 12:1-34 and Psalm 42:6b-11.

Header image based on "Sparrows feeding" by Sander van der Wel, CC By-SA 2.0

God’s Rapt Attention

At what point exactly is God paying closest attention to you? Does he get revved up and focused when he sees your successes? Of course!

But interestingly, the One who counts and names the stars will focus on you most when you are brokenhearted and wounded. Our very great and powerful God, who knows everything—everything!—will hone in on you when you are in the humblest and lowliest of situations.

Why? Because he wants you to be healed. And he wants you to be shielded from harm.

At times like that, we may feel like God has his back turned. But never is God more attentive to us than when we’re hurting. Because this is what God does best!

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit. The Lord sustains the humble but casts the wicked to the ground” (Psalm 147:3-6, NIV).

Our reading for Christmas Eve 2014 is Zephaniah 1:1 – 3:20, Psalm 147:1-6, Proverbs 30:18-19 and Revelation 14:1-20.