Being Known

“I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.  Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?  Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.  Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” (Luke 12:4-7 NIV)

My wife and I were invited out to Colorado last week by some supporters who just wanted to bless us with a week in the mountains and to enjoy a college basketball game.  As we traveled through airports to and fro, and sat in the sports arena with 11,000 other people, it occurred to me that, while 99.9 % of the people I observed during the trip were strangers to me, every one of them was known by God.  

Often, a big stumbling block for people to believe in a personal God is the fact there are so many people in the world.  “How can God know everyone?” they ask.  And perhaps contained within that question is another: “How can God know someone as insignificant as me?”

It occurred to me yesterday as I sat in the airport gate area watching hundreds of strangers walking by, that we see this kind of broad but specific knowledge every day, particularly this time of year.  Millions of packages are in transit during the Christmas holiday season.  Amazon and other online retailers rely on the Postal Service, UPS, FedEx and other delivery services to get their ordered merchandise to where it is supposed to go.  To do that, they have to know the recipients’ name and address.  Out of millions of packages, they know exactly where yours needs to go.  It’s the same with the airlines.  Millions are flying this month and the airlines know the name of each person flying and what seat he or she is occupying.  

So if it is possible for us to be known in this way through innovative technology, is it too much of a stretch to believe the God of the universe could know each of us?  I don’t think so.  If FedEx or UPS can find me practically anywhere in the world, I can easily imagine I am known well by the God who created all things.  

Today, while you may feel like a stranger in a vast crowd, know there is One who knows you well and loves you.  It was for this reason Jesus was born into the world and the reason He died on the Cross.

© Jim Musser 2013