Psalm 139:17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!
Precious thoughts.
I love how Psalm 139 describes God’s thoughts.
David recognized not only the precious nature of God’s thoughts, but the vast sum of them. In Psalm 139 he marvels at how well God knows him. God formed him in his mother’s womb and breathed life into his existence. God knows where he is and what he’s doing every minute of every day. He even knows what he’s going to say before he utters a word. Such knowledge overwhelms David as he realizes he himself is one of those “precious thoughts” birthed from the mind of God! It was “knowledge too wonderful” for him to grasp (v.6).
What a revelation to know each one of us came into being as one of God’s “precious thoughts.” Think about it. Our birth was not random or purposeless, but intentional. Our Creator thought us up! And he offers us a shot at life. A life exceedingly fuller when we realize where we came from.
In the “vastness” of God’s thoughts, he created us all differently. But those differences don’t determine the quantity of his love. Or the significance of our existence. He longs to have a relationship with each one of his image-bearers.
But I’m afraid we’re becoming a culture that sees people less like individual image-bearers of a common Creator, and more like dehumanized categories. We define people based on who they vote for, the color of their skin, their views on hot topic issues of the day. No wonder our world is bursting at the seams with so much acrimony and chaos. We have forgotten that behind every label we slap on people resides one of God’s precious thoughts.
Friend, you are one of God’s precious thoughts. And not only you, but every person you encounter. As CS Lewis observes, “There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal.” No matter how differently people think, act or look, they share the dignity of being created from the mind of God. I know sometimes we have to look hard, but just maybe we can break through the labels and help someone discover “knowledge too wonderful.”
Now isn’t that a precious thought?