| Psalms 139:17- “How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!” |
I was playing my guitar today, and it occurred to me that I have now had it for 50 years. Although it is mostly wood (spruce and rosewood) I have attachment to it. I bought it in May of 1973, the month of my high school graduation. I think I would recognize it’s tone if I had my eyes closed.
May 1st marked the 23rd year I have been driving my Dodge Dakota pick-up. If I sold it today, I would feel a tug as the new owner drove away with it. When our black lab mix, Mattie, died, I cried my eyes out. I fed her, gave her water, took her on walks, talked to her, massaged her neck, and rubbed her rump (her preference). She weaseled her way into my heart, one day at a time.
We get attached to people as well. I cannot sing “Tell Me The Story Of Jesus” without hearing my dad singing it. My wife felt a tremendous void in her heart with the passing of her mother. Fondness and attachment comes with the passing of time. Houses, jobs. Even trees. We had a trio of pines, and have lost two of them. I miss them.
We have been in this house for 33 years now. I have been at my church for 36 years now. I have a friend, Biff Eck, that I met at Shell Street church in Healdton, Oklahoma when I was in diapers. We are friends to this day. We re-connected about 8 years ago. I also ran across Joel Hulett whom I first met as an 8th grader in Lawton, Oklahoma. He and I found each other about 5 years ago.
Gordon Lightfoot died this week. There is a line in one of his songs, Hi’way Songs, “Everyone that I call friend knows they will not be forgot.” Do you ever wonder if God thinks about you?
This from the Psalms:
Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.
If I take up the wings of the dawn,
If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
Even there Your hand will lead me,
And Your right hand will take hold of me.
And later in the same Psalm:
For You created my innermost parts;
You wove me in my mother’s womb.
Still more:
How precious also are Your thoughts for me, God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them, they would outnumber the sand.
When I awake, I am still with You.
You can’t go back far enough to a point where God has not been involved in your life, in creating you from nothing, in thinking about you, in keeping up with your goings on.
Father in heaven, thank You for caring about us as much as You do, in Jesus’ name, Amen!
– Jeff Beall
