Who Am I That You Are Mindful of Me?

Someone special to me brought up something important that I had not considered before. The thought posed in my own wording was that even though we know God is able why would he be mindful of me? Who am I? Who am I when there are so many others more talented, gifted and so much more able to do great things with God? Why would God bother with me? After all, I am just me.

I have thought about that for days and days. I gathered some scriptures and read and I would like to share my thoughts on why God would bother with any of us. Who the heck are we anyway?

Would you please read Psalm 8? (If you click the link it takes you to a Christianity.com Bible. All you have to do is type Psalm 8 in the Jump To Search Box, I promise this is worth it) This psalm is only 9 verses long, please click over and read it. It directly address the question, who are we that God is mindful of us? God created us and he cares for us. He has clothed us with glory and honor. This privilege is not for some, it is for all. All of us.

Psalm 100 (only 5 verses, please read it!!) Is an invitation to enter joyfully into God's presence. This invitation is for all of creation, all his people. Part of verse 3 says "It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. We are his sheep. Now, who am I, just a little sheep? What can I possibly mean to God when he has so many other obedient sheep following him? Jesus said there is more rejoicing in heaven over the one lost sheep who is found than for the others who were with him all along. Will the shepherd not leave the sheep in the flock to go out and find one lost sheep? Jesus said He would. Yes, I believe that this verse extends to more than salvation. He wants us to be with him, to have relationship with Him. Each and every one of us are special to God. He longs for every single person on this earth.

Psalm 103 says the Lord is with those who fear him. God is looking for people who just want him. Just him. To reverently fear him, who are humble, kind, compassionate, loving and willing to reflect His character. He is not looking for talented people, gifted speakers or people that have the most potential to reach the masses. Nope. He just wants someone who wants him. That is the person who will be filled with the power of God in ways that make things happen. That is the person who will see God. God will fill that person with the abilities needed to achieve His plan for their life.

Psalm 139 is a power packed psalm. What does it say? Please read it and let's break it down. God searches us and he knows us in verse one. Can you please get ahold of that scripture? God knows YOU. He knows you. He knows every single thing about you. God knows you better than you know you. God is very personal. He is very personal with us in how he leads us. We do not have cookie cutter walks with God. Each of us has unique walks, unique relationships & He leads us in unique, personal ways tailored for who we are. Can you even grasp the awesomeness of that?
It says he knows our thoughts, when we lay down, when we go out, before a word is on our tongue, God knows it completely. God knows each day of your life, each moment, each thought, every single word and he knows the intent of your heart. God is a very personal God. He doesn't have to know these things and yet He has taken the time to do so. He has bothered himself to know so. He is mindful of us. It does not say for some, it says that about all of creation. Each person, God is mindful of and wants to us to want to know him. He already knows us, the invitation is extended and all we have to do is show up looking for Him. To let him in, to empty us of what we desire but to know that instead God knows us so well that it is okay to trust him with our life paths and decisions.
Verse 5 says he hems us in, behind and before. Why worry about the future? God has already gone ahead of you, you are hemmed in. You will be given the provision needed for what may come. Only God knows what is ahead, let's just trust that whatever is happening to us is for our long range good like the bible says. That does not mean that everything that happens to us is good, but that everything that happens, God can turn around for us for our long range good. Sometimes God has to get our attention too. He does that because he is trying to say, "Here I am! Come to me!"
It says we are fearfully and wonderfully made. We were made, that implies intent. Something is not made unless there is an intent for it, a need, a purpose. You were made with an intent, a purpose. Please know that, please know that deep inside you. And God is not a God of circumstance, He does not need us to tell him where we are in life. He knows and he still wants us anyway. If you do not believe that then I challenge you to find scriptures that define at what point a person has done "too much" and God lays out when someone is no longer wanted and cannot come to him. You will not find a single place where God says to someone "Nah, not you. You have done too much." I really love this psalm, it truly brings home how personal of a God we have.

Now, for my thoughts. God really appreciates an underdog, doesn't he? He loves to use the weak and foolish things of the world to confound the wise. His word says so. I think God gets a real kick out of taking someone who "shouldn't be" by worldly standards and raising them up to do wonderful things. I can just picture him up there just laughing at the reactions of the proud and haughty when he raises up a humble vessel that nobody gave much thought to. God loves the underdog. What does that mean exactly? It means that if you don't feel like you are very particularly special, if you feel like anything God could ask you to do is so beyond you and that so many more people are much better equipped to do his works then watch out!!! YOU are the kind of person God loves to use. Because you will be fully relying on His strength, His power and knowing that anything that you do is because of HIM! YES, a humble, willing heart. Lookout baby, God will use a person like you.

Some examples you say? Okay, I've got a few. But only a few or we will be here all day. I did say God loves an underdog.......In no particular order.

1. Moses. Moses had a speech problem. Many say it was a stuttering problem. Moses told God he could not do what God asked because of his poor speaking ability. Moses did not realize he was not born special, but God set him aside anyway to end up at Pharoah's home to be someone who could save God's people. Remember, God knows your intentions and your heart. God knew that Moses was someone would obey him. God had already made great plans for Moses as a young baby because God already knew Moses. God did not care about Moses's speech impediment. God does not care about any of our impediments. It was his willingness and obedience that God desired and God provided the means to get the message across.

2. King David. David's father Jesse thought so little of David's prospects to be great and mighty that when Sammuel came to anoint the next king of Israel Jesse did not bother to include David in the line up. Remember, Jesse was told to bring out all his sons so God could tell Sammuel who to anoint. Jesse left David out in the field with the flocks. Obviously, nobody thought David was very special or talented or gifted in any spectacular way. But who was the anointed one? Why David? Because of the intent of his heart, that is why. Because God already knew David. Before you were born, God has already searched your heart.

3. Disciples of Jesus. Can you say tax collector? Nobody liked those tax collectors but God saw something inside of Matthew. Yes, God knows what he can accomplish with us once we give him control of us. Can you say stinky fishermen? Not upstanding well spoken Rabbis, stinky fishermen.

4. Mary, mother of Jesus. Who was Mary? What great things was Mary doing in the realm of ministry? God knew her heart.

5. Joseph, the earthly daddy of Jesus. A man who would listen and obey. A carpenter. A construction worker was the earthly daddy to Jesus. Really? God picked a construction worker to be the earthly dad to Jesus? Yep, he did. Nobody special right?

6. Esther. Just a girl, she was just doing her thing when she was suddenly taken into the King's palace. Suddenly Esther is in a place to save the Israelites from being completely slaughtered. Just a girl, why Esther? God knew she would be obedient. He knew her heart once again.

It is the condition of the heart God is most concerned with. The desire to let him use us, not to use what we have to serve Him. That roots our service in what we can do. No, let's root our service in what God can do with us. Without him we are all nothing. I used to think that God couldn't do much with me because I am a housewife and I do not come into contact with very many people on a daily basis. What can he do with me? You know what? Since I have gone through the whole process of the 6 part study on "How To Discover God's Will for Our Lives" located on the sidebar, God has done plenty with me. Oh, he will make a way just fine for someone who needs a word that you have in you to find their way to you or vice versa. Yes he will. I don't worry one single thing about what God can do with me anymore. I just root myself now in wanting Him. Just Him. Nothing more, nothing less. I know that God will take care of everything else. All that is required is that I just want Him and want to be like Him. That is it. We don't have to be anything other than willing.

I love you and God loves you!!!

Jenn