Five-minute read.
You are familiar with all my ways.
Psalm 139:3b
Close acquaintance.
Who knows you best in this world? My husband comes to mind for me. Although Ron knows nothing about me, he knows more than most. However, no one knows me as well as the Lord. God knows every hair on our heads:
“But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.” Matthew 10:30
According to Healthline, humans have an average of 100,000 hair follicles.[i] With 8.1 billion people on the planet, according to 2023 polls, that’s a lot of hair for the Lord to know. Yet He does.
Cakan, the original Hebrew word for familiar in today’s verse, means to be familiar with; by implication, to minister to, be serviceable to, be customary.[ii] Knowing us intimately, God knows our needs before we do. When my Mom landed in the hospital with an emergency Whipple procedure, removal of the spleen, part of her colon, and part of her pancreas, we found out she had pancreatic cancer. Praying fervently for the Lord to save her life, I discovered that God answered my prayer before I prayed.
Ten years earlier, Mom had a blockage in her colon; surgery bypassed it by removing a small section of the organ. Cancer tends to grow towards scar tissue, which it did in my mother’s situation. Instead of the pancreatic cancer growing up through the midline of her body, around vital organs, it grew into the colon. As a result, the doctor removed the cancerous mass, adding years to my mother’s life and answering my prayer before I ever prayed it.
Knowing someone’s needs allows us to meet those needs. God uses His intimate knowledge of us to minister to our requirements, supplying us with our necessities at any time. Just like when I know someone has a need, I can meet it.
Because of my close acquaintance with my husband, I know his needs. When he has dirty laundry, I wash it. Because Ron cooks more than me, I clean the dishes and counters after he presents us with a meal. When his dad declined due to dementia, I found ways to support my husband as he took care of his father. Knowing Ron intimately gives me the privilege of serving him and meeting his needs when possible.
To help someone, we must know them. The Lord knows us better than anyone else and meets our needs. But we may not always agree with God’s decisions or how He meets our desires. Submitting to the Lord’s sovereignty means trusting Him, even when we don’t understand or agree.
Our Maker knows His creation. Familiar with us down to the hairs on our heads, God knows everything. When our hearts break, so does the Lord’s. When we celebrate, so does our Creator. Understanding our needs, God meets them long before we even know it. Not a breath taken happens without the Lord’s knowledge. Loving us unconditionally, nothing about us surprises God; we don’t need to hide anything from Him. The Lord already knows and loves us anyway.
Application:
God knows every hair on my head.
Because the Lord knows everything about me, I can let worry go. When something happens that I don’t understand, I can trust God does. Not only does the Creator know how many hairs I have, but He knows what He created me to do. Fulfilling my life purpose only happens when I submit to God and let Him lead me step by step where He wants me to go.
When war broke out in Israel, it canceled my mission trip to Egypt. Saddened by the events, I comforted myself in God’s sovereignty. Because nothing happens without His knowledge, I trusted the Lord’s plan for my life, and knowing that fact comforted me in my disappointment.
God knows my needs before I do, and He meets them.
Journaling Questions:
- How well do you think God knows you?
- In what ways does God show you His presence in your life?
- Knowing God knows the number of hairs on your head, how does that give you confidence in His sovereignty?
Prayer:
Lord, forgive me for doubting Your knowledge of me. Help me trust that You know every part of my being, meeting my needs before I have them. Please help me believe Your promises, relying on them daily. Let me become more like Jesus as I submit my life to You. IJNIP. Amen
[i] https://www.healthline.com/health/how-many-hairs-on-a-human-head#:~:text=per%20square%20centimeter).-,Hair%20follicles,of%20hairs%20on%20your%20head.
[ii] Strong, J. (2012). Strong’s concordance. LENNEX Corp.
