Daily devotional, April 23, 2024 Statistics
"Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life."
Isaiah 43:4
During calamities and even in the recent pandemic, fatalities are reported through death tolls. Numbers upon numbers of people who succumbed to a tragedy are publicized, nameless and faceless for brevity’s sake and ease of reportage. News anchors highlight the fact that everyone should be careful, because once you perish, you will just be a number in the statistics.
And while the world just labels each death as just a number, we can be sure that each person — if He happens to be a follower of Jesus — will be known by the Heavenly Father by name.
"Precious in the sight of the Lord, is the death of his faithful servants."
Psalm 116:15
As children of the one true God, we are given a new identity by our Lord Jesus Christ. We have been dead to sin and alive in our Savior. We have shed our old lives marked by sin, and a life of pursuing and abiding in Him.
"“You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.”
1 Peter 2:9
Our Lord assures us that He knows each one of us. That He cares for everything that happens to our lives. That we are not just part of His creation, but we are significant to Him and we are loved.
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you."
Isaiah 43:1-3
That He sees our pains and struggles, and ensures that all these will be for our own good. That He makes sure that no tear is wasted.
"You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?"
Psalm 56:8
When we feel like God does not hear us, and does not even know where we are, we should remind ourselves that we are where God wants us to be. In the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, St. Paul explained to the Athenians the vastness of God’s power that pre-determined every detail of our lives:
"And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us,"
Acts 17:26-17
In fact, our coming to Him is likewise recorded as He takes note of each of us that have accepted His lordship in our lives. Psalm 87 mentions how God has adopted us in His family:
"'I will record Rahaband Babylon among those who acknowledge me— Philistia too, and Tyre, along with Cush—and will say, ‘This one was born in Zion.’Indeed, of Zion it will be said, “This one and that one were born in her, and the Most High himself will establish her.”The Lord will write in the register of the peoples:“This one was born in Zion.”
Psalm 87:4-6
We are not insignificant to the Lord. We are not just a number. We are not just part of a census of name and location. We are God’s one and only, much loved and much cared for — and we should always remind ourselves that.
"And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God." Ephesians 3:18-19
Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to ponder on Psalm 87 and Ephesians 3:14-21 to dig deeper on today’s topic.
Reflection Question: How do you remind yourself that you are significant in God’s eyes?
Conversation with the Lord: Almighty Father, thank you for always assuring me that you love me and I am a gem in your eyes. Thank you for looking beyond my failures, imperfections, fears and anxieties. Give me the confidence to continue to seek you, so that I could soak up in your presence and feel your love abound. Amen.