He Is Mindful

Psalm ‭8:1,3-4,9 - O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth, who have set Your glory above the heavens! When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth!

As I feel the effects of yesterday's very early morning travel, time zones, last night's early bedtime and finally awaking at four in the morning, I stepped outside into the early morning darkness. Oh, what I saw! A bazillion stars. I thought of God's promise to Abraham to be the father of many nations and descendants, and how God ...brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” (Genesis‬ ‭15:5)

And then later in the morning my husband and I took a drive to view mountain after Arizona mountain. The amazing beauty of range after range heading off into the distance. Who can fathom the greatness of it all? 

Sometimes it's all I can do, this praising God for all He is, what He has created, what He has done and will do, to think on His authority and sovereignty. How excellent is His name!

As this psalm says, what is man that He is mindful of him, that He visits us? When we take the time to see just the early morning stars, I believe even if one does not consciously think of Him, He is visiting us. He is showing us His glory. He is longing for all to recognize Him and His creation and power and sovereignty. Oh, He doesn't need us...but He desires that we recognize our need for Him. 

He created all things...try to wrap your head around that. Really, try it. The stars hang in the sky because He has ordained it. The sun rises and sets, as does the moon, at His will. There is a purpose, as Ecclesiastes says, a time and a season for all things. And all things are under His will. Who can comprehend this? 

And yet, He is mindful of us. Of us! He created us for His pleasure...that He could bless us with so much of what truly counts...most importantly eternal life. So why shouldn't we recognize Him fully in our lives? It's what He desires. More than all these things, He wants us to know Him. Job asks, What is man, that You should exalt him, that You should set Your heart on him, that You should visit him every morning, and test him every moment? I think anyone who has known God has wondered this. And, yes, He does test us. He tests us to see if we will trust in Him, will continue to follow Him in our trials.

I can't wrap my head around all He has created or how. I come to Him in that childlike faith, acknowledging His greatness. How else can one come to Him with humility for who He is? But get this: not all these descendants God promised Abraham will become children of God. Galatians 3:29 tells us that. We must belong to Christ or we will not become part of that seed of promise. What a privilege to become one of those descendants from Genesis!

In the Book of Revelation study I am doing, in Chapter 1 it states that John, the disciple who wrote the book, per God's instruction, saw One like the Son of God...and fell on his face as if dead for the incredible vision of who He was. I seriously doubt that we will be able to do anything else but fall to our feet before Him some day. Scripture says every knee will bow...and every refers to those who have received Him and those who have not. Yet, here in Revelation, it also states that Jesus placed His hand on John and told him not to be afraid. While He is Alpha and Omega, First and Last, if we have humbly given our lives to Him and trusted Him, we need not fear because He is also our Beginning and End, the Almighty.

Jesus counts those who have received Him, who have been born again in the Spirit, as part of the numerous stars in the sky. We are part of the great inheritance. We are sinners yet we are His friends, bought by His blood. To think that in the beginning, even before then, when He created all things, He knew us, He knew who would follow and who would not. It's a mystery to be sure. 

How excellent is His name. Do you know this amazing God? This God who knows you...and is mindful of all His creation.

Psalm 111:2-5,9-10 - The works of the LORD are great, studied by all who have pleasure in them. His work is honorable and glorious, and His righteousness endures forever. He has made His wonderful works to be remembered; the LORD is gracious and full of compassion. He has given food to those who fear Him; He will ever be mindful of His covenant. He has sent redemption to His people; He has commanded His covenant forever: holy and awesome is His name. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.