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Psalms 139:16b-18

^16bAll the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. ¹⁷How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! ¹⁸Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.

In this psalm we discover the fact that God knows us from the womb. He designed our bodies and planned our lives. Every detail of each day of our lives is determined before we are born. That plan is filled with precious thoughts. In this translation we have the translation "to me", but an equally valid translation is "toward me." "How precious toward me are your thoughts, O God!" The thoughts that God thinks about you are precious. He plans the best way for you to come to know His mercy and love. Though we have free choices to make, God can see them from His perspective of eternity. He works within the choices we make to bring us to Himself.

How much does God think about you? If you could add those thoughts up they would outnumber the grains of sand. That reveals to us the immense love that He has for each of us. Since we know He has numbered every hair on our head, knows every move we make, the thoughts we think, and the choices we will make, He can plan the details of our lives for our good and to reveal Himself to us. Do you consider the thoughts He has toward you precious? You must first realize that He has your eternal good in mind much more than your temporary happiness. Once you grasp that, things begin to fit together. We will never understand it all in this life, but we can trust that He has been lovingly bringing us down the road that is best for us. It does require us to respond to that guiding hand of love. If we refuse to acknowledge it, we will be held accountable.

Remember: "When I awake" from each night, and from this life, I will still be with Him. I can sleep in peace because I know my tomorrow is planned by Him. I can be free from the fear of death because I know that I will awake from this time upon earth and still be with Him.