Sometimes when we have difficulty with an area of life or we’re uncertain about our ability or we feel particularly alone, we question our value. Who would notice or care if we fell off the planet?
Friend, you matter. David expresses the overwhelming knowledge and power and concern of God in Psalm 139. In verse 13, he begins a discussion of God’s creative work and omniscience in the life of a human being: “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them”(vv. 13-16).
When you were a tiny being inside your mother, God was forming you. He knew whether that mother would keep you or give you to another woman to hold as her own. He knew the family or families of which you would be a part. He knew all your days before anyone saw your face or heard your cry. You don’t need to depend upon what you see as your worth or accomplishments in order to be valuable to God. In fact, the Apostle Peter discourages pride in self: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you”(1 Peter 5:6-7).
Matthew shares the following words of Christ’s care: “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows”(Matthew 10:29-31). Jesus is speaking to his disciples who perhaps are fearing physical harm from the religious leaders of the day and reminds these men that they are never outside the knowledge of God. Many varieties of sparrows exist around the globe, but even the largest of them weigh less than 2 ounces. They live only 3 years, and that’s if all goes well. They have no soul, and their monetary value is slight. Yet God the Father knows when they fall.
Take heart. You are never outside the care and knowledge of your God. He knows you better than you know yourself; and yet, regardless of how you view your own value, he loves you and is with you, whatever you are going through.