How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me! Psalm 139:17–18 (NLT)
Last week, I went with my son Addison on a class field trip to the beach. It was a perfect day. As soon as the kids hit the sand they flung themselves to the ground, making sand angels. I took my cue from them and lay down on the sun-warmed sand. With the cries of the gulls and the laughter of the kids surrounding me, I let handfuls of sand funnel through my fingers.
My thoughts immediately turned toward the Psalms. It would have taken me hours to painstakingly count each tiny grain of sand in my palm. I couldn’t imagine even trying it. But Jesus loves me so well and so much that His thoughts about me outnumber those grains of sand.
Sometimes I get caught up in worrying about life. About the hard things that are taking place. About the struggles I face or the sins that keep coming back around. And I wonder if Jesus sees me. If He is listening to my prayers. If He knows me at all.
The enemy of my soul would like me to think I am alone. The Lover of my soul would like me to know that He can’t stop thinking about me. Jesus wants me to know that His thoughts about me would fill hundreds of beaches, thousands of oceans, millions of sand dunes. He loves me completely and is interested in every subtle nuance of my life.
As I let the warm sand sift through my fingers, I realized that Addie wasn’t the only one who was learning something on his field trip that day.
Faith Step: Fill up a jar with sand and set it on your kitchen counter. Know each time you see it, that Jesus knows you and loves you inside and out.
