“How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand…” (Psalm 139:17-18, KJV)
I believe that deep in the heart of most people is a desire to feel and know that we are special to someone. When a man surprises his beloved with a marriage proposal, she is usually in seventh heaven. She knows fully well that of all the other females he knows, she was chosen to be The One. Of course most females would argue that it is the other way around as well, given that by saying “yes”, he is also special because she chose him! Gender differences aside, it is a wonderful feeling to know that we are special to someone.
By ourselves we are just as special. Science tells us that no one else has our set of fingerprints. We can find someone who looks like us, walk like us, act like us, and have any number of characteristics just like us, yet if we pass away and a million babies are born into the world, none of them can take our place. When David – while astonished at the admirable contrivance of his body, the composition of every part, and the harmony of all together – declared “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made…” (Psalm 139:14), he could just as easily have added the word “uniquely” as well. Science also tells us that even the hairs on our head have our own unique DNA print. Gosh, we are special. I believe that every morning we can look into the mirror and say – with some modesty of course – “I am special, there is no one quite like me.” You are not being vain because it is true.
For the believer, we have even more reason to feel special: we have been chosen by God (John 15:16). Lest we think that by accepting Jesus as Lord we were the ones that did the choosing, Jesus reminds us: “No one is able to come to Me unless the Father Who sent Me attracts and draws him and gives him the desire to come to Me…” (John 6:44, Amp). That is not something we often think about, but consider the thousands of people who went to bed last night and did not live to see this morning, but died in their sins. Of course, it is not because of anything we did, or could have done, why we awoke saved, redeemed, and justified, but because of the grace of God that has been extended to us. Consider that if Jesus had not died we would not have been able to be partakers of His salvation, but as you look into the mirror, bear in mind that were you the only one on earth, He would have done it anyway. That is just how special we are, and a reflection of His thoughts towards us.
In our reference text, David got a glimpse of this when he declared: “How precious are your thoughts unto me, O God!” It is interesting to see how the Psalmist made it so personal considering his previous declaration in Psalm 40:5, “Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward…”. It was as if he came to realize that God’s thoughts were not just universal, but very personal. So often we read that God so loved the world, but often not take the time to consider that God loves me, the individual. How great are his thoughts? They are more in number than the sand. I submit that under any numbering system, that is a whole lot of thoughts!
In our opening paragraph, we talked about a man surprising his beloved with a marriage proposal. As a sign of his affection and a symbol of his intentions, it is customary that he offers her an engagement ring which she wears proudly, and which identifies her as “belonging” or special to someone. As I pondered just how special we all are, the Spirit of God reminded me that God also has a symbol of His feelings towards each of us. Through the prophet Isaiah we are told: “Yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you in the palms of My hands…” (49:15b,16a). So many times as we struggle under life’s pressures, the enemy would have us believe that God has abandoned or forgotten about us, yet isn’t it comforting to know that all He has to do is look in the palms of His hands? I can certainly identify with David again: “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?” (Psalm 139:6-7).
In his book Peace With God, Billy Graham writes: “Looking down over the battlements of heaven He saw this planet swinging in space – doomed, damned, crushed, and bound for hell. He saw you and me struggling beneath our load of sin and bound in the chains and ropes of sin. He made his decision in the council halls of God. The angelic hosts bowed in humility and awe as heaven’s Prince of Princes and Lord of Lords, who could speak worlds into space, got His jewelled chariot, went through pearly gates, across the steep of the skies, and on a black Judean night, while the stars sang together and the escorting angels chanted praises, stepped out of the chariot, threw off His robes, and became a man.” I respectfully add, just for us; just because He thought us special.
It is my prayer that the next time you look in the mirror, you will be reminded not only of how wonderfully and fearfully made you are, but just as importantly, how special you are in the sight of God and that His thoughts towards you are numberless. Praise God.
