Have you noticed how children are continually vying for their parent’s attention. Like when they are jumping off the side of the pool into the water and yell, “Watch me!” Perhaps when they are wanting to show off their latest trick and scream, “Look at me!”. Maybe when they are learning to ride a bike and the call out, “Watch me!” They want so desperately for their parents to take notice of them. And parents can’t fake it. Kid’s know if their parents aren’t really looking their way or just giving it lip service.
Are we often like that with God? Do we think that sometimes He is not really looking at us? That He has forgotten about us? We’ve heard the promises about how God never leaves us or ditches us. But is that just lip service? Is He really paying attention?
We never have to worry about vying for God’s attention…
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)
Can you imagine counting the grains of the sand on the beach? That’s how many times God thinks of you!
You don’t have to do a “10” off the diving board or master your latest talent. You can’t buy God’s faithful presence with your performance. In fact, You don’t deserve His presence and you can’t earn His presence. He is just with you!
God is with you because of one thing and one thing alone: His grace! As you look at your life, maybe it isn’t going as you expected. It isn’t progressing according to your schedule. You’re thinking, “The Lord must have forgotten about me. The Lord has abandoned me.”
That’s because we tend to interpret life by how it’s going at each given moment – by how it looks right now. And if it’s a little uncomfortable, if it’s a little difficult, it’s tempting to believe God has forgotten us. But God never forgets us. His thoughts about us “outnumber the grains of sand.” So, if you’re in that moment or that place of thinking God has forgotten you, think about the beach, and remember that’s how many times God is thinking about you!
Ryan Smallwood
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