“For I know the thoughts I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11
I heard this quote a few week ago, “There is never a moment God is not thinking about you.” Erwin McManus. It has encouraged me ever since. It comes to my mind often at the oddest times.
Like right now, I’m writing this blog from 36,000 feet in the air. I don’t think I will ever get used to modern technology. It has become harder and harder to unplug. As an ex-flight attendant, flying isn’t one of my favorite things to do. I managed in my brief time flying the friendly skies to actually develop a fear of flying. Times like this it is reassuring to know I’m always on God’s mind. I’m thankful He is where ever I go. Always thinking about me. Always available.
Truly though, it’s a hard concept to grasp. There are so many people in this world. He is always thinking of all of them. He is always working, creating connections, organizing meetings. Moving forward.
I’m listening to this book, “The Power of Habits: Why We Do What We Do in Life and in Business”. Truly fascinating. Most of our lives are lived by habits and we are completely unaware of it. Companies and organizations aren’t. They have entire teams working non-stop analyzing our every move. Target, for example, sends personalized brochures to individuals strictly based on their buying habits. They can actually tell if someone is pregnant and when their due date is, just off of what they purchase.
God doesn’t need a computer program to know our habits. We’re always on His mind. Last week I heard a great message at Life Community Church. We were visiting our friends who started the church. There was a guest speaker, Thomas Dixon. His message was tiled “The Life, Death and Resurrection of Thomas Dixon”. He shared his testimony with us. How he was raised in Chicago, not in the best neighborhood. His 30 year battle with drugs and alcohol. How he came to new life in Jesus. It started at the age of 16 when he turned his back on God. He said he lost the next 12 years of his life to his addiction. One thing he realizes now, is that even though he turned his back on God, God never turned his back on him.
He gave example after example of how God was there, in the midst of all he was doing. The problem was he couldn’t see it, or didn’t want to see it. It reminded me of a 10 year period in my life when I did the same. I turned my back on God. I knew what God wanted me to do, being raised in the church. I was determined to do the exact opposite. I caused a lot of pain to myself, but I can clearly see as I look back, how God was with me the entire time. Always there, always loving me, always trying to get my attention.
He really was thinking about me the whole time, even though I wasn’t thinking about Him. It breaks my heart for the time I lost with Him during that period of darkness. God even gave me grace with that thought. He led me to this verse, and it immediately brought me comfort:
“The Lord says, “I will give you back what you lost
to the swarming locusts, ” Joel 2:25
He has and is redeeming those years in my life. I am able to help others by sharing the lessons I learned. I am a living witness as they see the transformational change in my life. Actions do speak louder than words. It truly is a miracle.
Once again, it reminds me, I am always on His mind. I may not think He’s listening, but He is. I may not feel His presence but it is there. I may not understand what He is thinking, but it is good. My human heart has a hard time understanding how He is able to think about me that much. The truth is, I don’t have to understand, I just need to believe.
What about you? Is He redeeming the years from your past? Look back over different times in your life. See if you can pinpoint where He was reaching out to you, but you missed it. One guarantee is true, He loves you and He’s always thinking about you.
Amen to that!
Always on His Mind
