Personally Known to God
In excess of two billion people presently profess to be Christians. We cannot know how many are real versus how many are Christian in name only, but we are thankful that, “the Lord knoweth them that are His” (2 Tim. 2:19). This raises a question: If there are so many Christians, can God really care about me? The Bible reassures us that God not only cares about us, but He loves us and is intimately interested in each one of us. “Even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows” (Luke 12:7).
Even before we were born, God had His eye on us. “For Thou hast possessed my reins; Thou didst cover me in my mother’s womb. I will praise Thee, for I am fearfully, wonderfully made. Marvellous are Thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My bones were not hidden from Thee when I was made in secret, curiously wrought in the lower parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my unformed substance, and in Thy book all my members were written; during many days were they fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. But how precious are Thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!” (Psa. 139:13-17 JND; see also Jer. 1:5).
No one is an accident; no one is irrelevant. Every soul is precious in God’s sight. We won’t, however, know this unless we open up the Book that God has given us and read it there for ourselves. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Could God have shown any greater love than this? “God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). As a child of God we can join with the Apostle Paul and make it very personal: “the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20). The cost of my salvation—to both the Father and the Son—was so great, how could they ever forget? “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Rom. 8:31-32). “Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of My hands” (Isa. 49:16).
While we may, at times, wonder if God really does care about us, these should not be our typical thoughts. We have the promise of God’s love in His Word and the assurance of it through the Holy Spirit. If we do not feel it, what are we going to trust—our emotions or that which God has promised? When doubts creep in, it’s only by reading what God has given us, and meditating upon it, that peace will be restored. But won’t we feel it? Yes, we will, but not by looking within. To repeat, the peace we desire only comes from resting on what God has told us and looking without, upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Those wounds in His hands are very real; doubting Thomas was silenced at the sight of them. Christ sits at the right hand of God (Heb. 10:12). God is satisfied with the work of the Lord Jesus. We, too, can have every confidence in that work and hence our place before God in Christ.
We Bring God Joy
It is God’s desire to delight in us: “If the Lord delight in us . . .” (Num. 14:8). It brings Him pleasure (Psa. 147:11). We should never forget this: not only does God care about us, but a life lived for Him brings Him joy. Furthermore, the Lord’s joy in us, gives us strength: “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Neh. 8:10). Job’s friends didn’t seem to understand this and as a result they had a miserable view of God. Eliphaz asks: “Can a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable unto himself? Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? Or is it gain to Him, that thou makest thy ways perfect?” (Job 22:2-3). God most certainly did delight in Job and He found pleasure in the life he lived. “Hast thou considered My servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?” (Job 1:8). Unbeknownst to Eliphaz, Job had been the subject of a great cosmic challenge; how little and narrow our thoughts can be.
Sometimes, however, we may feel that God takes a little too much interest in us! “Have I sinned, what do I unto thee, thou Observer of men? Why hast thou set me as an object of assault for Thee, so that I am become a burden to myself?” (Job 7:20 JND). Job began to wonder why he, an insignificant mortal, was the object of God’s attention. “What is man, that Thou shouldest magnify him? And that Thou shouldest set Thine heart upon him?” (Job 7:17). There was something in Job’s life—though not the evil that his friends thought—that led God to work with Job. Unfortunately, Job lost sight of the fact that God was really and truly for him. It is because God is for us, that He doesn’t give up on us: “For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown” (Ezek. 36:9). The Psalmist displayed a better attitude; he invited God’s scrutiny: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; prove me, and know my thoughts; and see if there be any grievous way in me; and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psa. 139:23-24 JND). We have nothing to hide, and if our conscience condemns us, there is a remedy. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
Eternally Secure
Many Christians accept that the blood of Jesus has cleansed them from past sins, but they live in jeopardy of sins committed subsequent to their salvation. They act as if God is ready to abandon them should they sin. We do not have to turn far from the verses already quoted to see that this is false. The Good Shepherd is not going to lose a single sheep, not one! (John 10:28). “If, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life” (Rom. 5:10). Even now the Lord lives to make intercession for us—for that is the meaning of being saved by His life (see also Heb. 7:25). “Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us” (Rom. 8:34). If anyone raises a condemning finger, they must answer to God Himself. Such doubts call into question the sufficiency, completeness, and perfection of the work of the Lord Jesus on the cross. It also calls into question the value that God has placed on that work.
To be sure, there are consequences to sin—it is one way to lose our confidence towards God (1 John 3:20-21). But we can’t lose our salvation; we can’t be unborn. The new life we now possess is eternal life (1 John 5:13). We should never for one moment think that God will forsake us. We have been redeemed at far too great a price. “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Heb. 13:5). In the original Greek these are strengthened negatives, “no-never leave thee. . . .” In the Lord Jesus we have an High Priest and Advocate (Heb. 4:15; 1 John 2:1). Even now He is working to keep us from failing, and He is always ready to restore us when we do. “If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1).
How Could I Possibly be of any Use to God?
Just because we are saved, and as we learned in the first chapter, transformed, this does not mean that we cease to be who we are. God used Paul’s boldness and intellect to accomplish His ends. Daniel, of princely descent, was a tremendous civil administrator and God used him where He placed him. Peter, the natural leader, became a shepherd of the shepherds (1 Peter 5:1-4). Perhaps, however, we do not see strengths in ourselves, just weaknesses. Unquestionably, if we dwell upon them, we will be discouraged. However, we should take heart; God can use even our weakness! There are many examples of individuals in Scripture whose personalities and weaknesses we can relate to, and yet God needed each one of them: Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, David, Jeremiah, Nehemiah, Peter, Paul, Timothy, all come to mind. In fact, I believe that it is consistent with Scripture to say, if it weren’t for their weaknesses, God could not have used these men.
We should be careful, however. It’s wrong to say, well I am what I am, to justify bad behavior (Gal. 5:19-21; James 3:14-15). Scripture makes it clear that we are to put off the old man and the works of the flesh; there is no question of that (Eph. 4:22; Col. 3:8-9). Paul could, however, say, “By the grace of God I am what I am” (1 Cor. 15:10). Prior to his conversion Paul was: “a blasphemer and persecutor, and an insolent overbearing man” (1 Tim. 1:13 JND). In distinct contrast, afterwards he could say: “for we . . . have been gentle in the midst of you, as a nurse would cherish her own children” (1 Thess. 2:7 JND). Our conduct must change with our salvation, but that doesn’t mean that we lose the unique personality that God has given us.
Timothy’s faith didn’t transform him into an outgoing, fearless, preacher. Had this been so, Paul would have had no need to write: “remembering thy tears . . . calling to mind the unfeigned faith which has been in thee . . . for which cause I put thee in mind to rekindle the gift of God which is in thee” (2 Tim. 1:4-6). If we walked with a limp before we were saved, we will walk with a limp after we are saved. I do not wish to limit God’s power to heal if He so chooses—both physical and mental ailments—however, He may also decide that His purposes are furthered by not healing us. The Apostle Paul had to learn this. “This thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. . . . For when I am weak, then am I strong” (2 Cor. 12:8-10).
Timothy was not only timid; he was also sickly. “Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities” (1 Tim. 5:23). However, whereas we are always ready to excuse a fellow believer for their physical limitations, when it comes to mental or emotional ones, we are not so generous. Clearly, they’re not trusting God! Despite this, things are not so nearly cut and dried. Not every mental or emotional weakness is a spiritual one. Invariably there is a mix of both. It doesn’t matter the weakness, Satan will seek to exploit it—yes, even our physical limitations. We need to be on our guard against this.
It was Timothy’s unique qualities that made him such a great asset to the Apostle. We find another hint as to Timothy’s personality in Paul’s letter to the Philippians. “I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus to you shortly, that I also may be refreshed, knowing how ye get on. For I have no one like-minded who will care with genuine feeling how ye get on” (Phil. 2:19-20 JND). The word for care could have been translated, be anxious for. In the hand of God, Timothy’s sensitive nature was a very useful trait.
James writes concerning Elijah: “Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are” (James 5:17). It would be a mistake to suppose these men of faith were superhuman. The mighty Elijah, who alone withstood the prophets of Baal, became very despondent—we would probably say that he was depressed. “Elijah . . . went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers” (1 Kings 19:4). I don’t go so far as to suggest that Elijah was suicidal. Nevertheless, he felt so useless that he asked God to end his life.
The root of Elijah’s problem may be found in the expression “I am not better than my fathers” (1 Kings 19:4). Really! Is that how we measure ourselves? Earlier, when he confronted the wicked prophets of Baal, he said, “I, even I only, remain a prophet of the Lord” (1 Kings 18:22). We know this wasn’t true; in chapter 20 God speaks through another, though nameless, prophet. Furthermore, Elijah would learn that there were 7000, albeit a silent remnant, who had never bowed down to Baal. When our thoughts turn inward, we put ourselves on dangerous ground. Like Elijah, we may begin on a spiritual mountaintop, but when we forget the source of our strength and grow confident in our own abilities and importance, things quickly unravel. In fact, it is quite possible for things to reach a point where God can no longer use us. This is very serious; God’s work will still get done, but maybe it can no longer be through us. In Elijah’s case, he was sent to anoint Elisha as a prophet in his stead (1 Kings 19:16). Did God just discard Elijah after that? No, not at all! His tenure on earth was nearly over, and his ministry was almost done, but I believe Elijah had learned an important lesson. God does not always act through great, outward displays of power which make the servant of God look good. Sometimes it’s just a soft, gentle voice (1 Kings 19:12 JND). In the end God took Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind in the presence of a chariot and horses of fire (2 Kings 2). He never did die though he had requested it! Extraordinary! We just have to be amazed at the ways of God.
Abraham failed through the fear of man, and yet, he is the father of the faithful. “Abraham . . . sojourned in Gerar. And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah. . . . Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife’s sake” (Gen. 20:1-2,11). While the fear of man is a snare (Prov. 29:25), fear itself is not a bad trait. A healthy dose of fear prevents us from doing foolish things; furthermore, it causes us to lean upon God rather than our own abilities.
Timidity, depression, fearfulness, these are all things that make us who we are. We should not expect God to necessarily remove them when we are saved. Instead, these weaknesses can become a source of strength in His hands. We may never be the preacher that Paul was, but this doesn’t limit our usefulness; we need to yield ourselves to God and allow Him to work through us. Though I have used Paul as an example of boldness, he was frequently in extreme circumstances and it was through these experiences that he learned practically, “I have strength for all things in Him that gives me power” (Phil. 4:13 JnD). There are many different ways that God can use one who is willing to give themselves, weakness and all, over to Him. We are, however, all too willing to make excuses.
Looking unto Jesus
So far our focus has been largely on ourselves; does God care about me? How could I be of use to God? It’s good to have a clear answer as to these things, but to dwell on them is not reflective of a mature relationship, spiritual or otherwise. When our thoughts remain inward, our view of things becomes distorted. It is good to remind ourselves that we are not the center of God’s counsel. Christ Jesus, the Son of God, is at the center of all His thoughts and purposes. “According to the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Eph. 3:11). This does not detract from what we’ve been considering, but it does correct our perspective. If we want our lives to have meaning, it’s not going to be by introspection. Fulfillment comes when our focus is on the Lord. “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith” (Heb. 12:2). If we understand how He views us and the price He has paid for us, all doubts as to self will be put in their proper place.
Before leaving this subject, however, we should note that the church forms an important part of the counsel of God. Counsel that had its origin long before the foundation of the world! “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love: having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the beloved” (Eph. 1:3-6). The millions, which I noted at the beginning of this chapter, are to the praise of the glory of the grace of God. This should bring us joy also, and it should motivate us in our service to God. When Christ returns to this earth at His appearing, we will be displayed with Him. It will be a display of glory that this world has never before seen—a glory which we, as the bride of Christ, have a special part in “When He shall come to be glorified in His saints” (2 Thess. 1:1010When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. (2 Thessalonians 1:10); see also Rom. 8:1717And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. (Romans 8:17)). Does God care about us? You can be sure He does.
Things to Consider
God has a very personal interest in each one of us; He so loved us that He sent His Son to die for us.
We can only know God’s thoughts toward us if we read His Word.
It is God’s desire that He might delight in us.
The Lord Jesus is our High Priest to keep us from falling and our Advocate to restore us when we do.
God’s strength is made perfect in our weaknesses.
Christ Jesus—not us—forms the center of God’s thoughts.
The correct perspective on life is only had by looking to Jesus.