On God's Mind
O Lord our God, the majesty and glory of your name fills all the earth and overflows the heavens. You have taught little children to praise you perfectly. May their example shame and silence your enemies!
When I look up into the night skies and see the work of your fingers - the moon and the stars you have made - I cannot understand how you can bother with mere punt man, to pay attention to him!
And yet you have made him only a little lower than the angels, and placed a crown of glory and honor upon his head.
You have put him in charge of everything you made; everything is put under his authority. All sheep and oxen, and wild animals too, the birds and fish, and all the life in the sea. O Jehovah, our Lord, the majesty and glory of your name fills the earth. Psalm 8:1-9 (TLB)
What is mere man that you should spend your time persecuting him? Must you be his inquisitor every morning, and test him every moment of the day? Job 7:17-18 (TLB)
Olanike Adenuga, from Lagos, Nigeria, remembers in high school when they were learning basic science. They were given a cup with soil and a bean seed inside to take home. They were assigned the task of caring for and observing its growth. Each day Olanike would go to the window to water her plant and make sure it was getting enough sunlight. She was happy to see how the plant responded to the care she gave it.
Olanike's plant-tending experience helps her relate to this verse: "What are human beings, that you exalt them, that you take note of them, visit them each morning, test them every moment?" God is thinking of Olanike. She is on God's mind every day. And so are each of us.
Just as Olanike carefully tended her plant, God cares for us so that we lack nothing in our growth toward fullness of life. Sometimes our growth can be a painful process. But God knows that pruning is a vital part of creating a healthy, mature life - be it a plant or a human being. In the end, God is always working to make something good out of our lives.
Prayer: Thank you, God, for your constant care and attention to our lives. Nurture our growth with your love so that we may live joyfully, in Jesus' name. Amen
