Hearing God's Voice in the PsalmsSýnishorn

His Thoughts

“How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.” (Psalm 139:17–18 NIV84)

The Lord has thought a lot about his children, including you, and he still thinks a lot about you.

His thoughts of you began long ago.

They began before you were conceived.

Psalm 139 confirms that He gave much thought to who you would be (inmost being) and what you would look like (frame). You have been on His mind ever since.

His thoughts of you are countless, like the grains of sand. Because He loves you so much, He thinks of you often. Furthermore, He desires to share his thoughts with you. Jesus said in John 10:27, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 2:16, “…But we have the mind of Christ”.

He has created our minds to know what He thinks of us and have His thoughts within us.

Psalm 139 clearly states there is no place we can go where He is not present. Therefore, His thoughts are always available to us regardless of where we are or what has occurred. He is mindful of us in the day and night, in the near and far, and in the middle of our poor choices and failures. He is ever-present with us and ever-thoughtful of us (verses six through twelve).

And, each morning, as you rise, you can be assured He is still with you. Yesterday's events and decisions did not drive His thoughts for and about you away. There is no dark thought you can have of yourself that His enlightening thoughts can’t counter. No darkness in this world can darken your thoughts that He can’t chase them away. There is no persuasion within your mind that can successfully debate with His loving and grace-filled thoughts of you. He is not going to change His mind about how much He loves you. When you wake up, He has not abandoned you to deal with the issues of the day on your own. When I awake, I am still with you. How precious is that thought?!

Years ago, I attended a conference to learn more about God. Much of the time, we focus on how much God loves us and desires to share His thoughts with us. At the end of one session, a speaker led us in prayer. He asked us to bow our heads, quiet our minds, and ask God what He thought of us. He prayed the Lord would give us a picture in our mind, an impression in our heart, or a thought that would convey His deep love for us. At first, I felt a bit awkward until I did not. At that moment, a name in the Bible came to mind. I thought about the stories I knew from the Bible of that person. The Lord loved that biblical character. My thoughts began to pivot from that biblical character to me. The thought I had was the Lord loves me like He loved that person. That loving thought began to saturate my soul. It led me to know and experience His love in a fresh and new way. His thoughts became my thoughts. That moment was revolutionary in my journey with the Lord. To this day, I cherish that moment. His thoughts towards me were precious.

Oh, how we need to rise each morning to hear the very thoughts of God. Too often, our minds and thoughts race off to consider the day's duties. We need His thoughts in ours. We need His thoughts echoing in our minds and resting in our hearts.

Thoughts of unconditional love.

Thoughts of grace and guidance.

Thoughts that settle and bring peace.

Thoughts that counter all that depresses, darkens, and distresses our soul.

Heavenly thoughts that shatter doubt and unbelief.

Divine thoughts that cancel shame and guilt.

Transformative thoughts that strengthen, encourage, and heal.

Thoughts that guide, direct, move, and motivate.

Thoughts that live for a lifetime and are eternal.

How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand.

Friend, the Psalmist shared the secret to growing in our relationship with the Lord in order to know His thoughts in an ever-increasing manner. The secret is found in the final two verses of this Psalm.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24 NIV84)

A surrendered heart that chooses Him and His ways is the gateway to His thoughts. A humble and repentant heart in pursuit of Him will open the doorway to what He thinks of you and what you need to know. His thoughts will become your thoughts as He leads you in the way everlasting.

My final thought for you is that God thinks a lot of you, thinks of you often, and desires to share His thoughts with you. Take a moment and turn verses twenty-three and twenty-four into a prayer for your soul.

Then, ask Him what He is thinking.

He will tell you.