May 1 I Tuesday

1 Kings 10-11

Luke 21:20-38

“You have searched me, LORD, and You know me.”

  —Psalm 139:1

On a radio broadcast several years ago, someone said that if there is a God, He is like a poker dealer. Life is the luck of the draw, with some being given much and others little, and our responsibility is to make the best of the hand we have been dealt. But something inside us screams this is not enough. Jeremiah expressed a universal sense when he wrote, “LORD, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps” (Jeremiah 10:23). In other words, we cannot make sense of this life on our own. We are not sufficient in and of ourselves to give meaning and purpose to life.

We all have a longing deep within us to be known, and we want this life to have significance. Christians know this is found in God, but their feelings or circumstances may leave some wondering how big a difference He truly makes. They see God as that poker dealer: distant and unconcerned with the hand we are dealt, but this could not be further from the truth! Psalm 139 contains over 80 personal pronouns, with verse after verse describing how God knows, loves and cares for His people. The Psalm begins, “You have searched me, LORD, and You know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways” (Psalm 139:1-3).

We are neither players at a poker table nor pawns on God’s chessboard. We are children of the loving God that Psalm 139 describes. He created us, knows us and is present with us. His love for us is not a doctrinal bullet point on the Christian creed, but is something we are blessed to experience.

Some believe the universe is determined by the course of the stars and planets. Astrologists claim the position of the stars at the moment a person is born will determine that person’s character and that studying the stars gives us information about the future. They believe the universe is controlled by something bigger than themselves, but they lack the hope and meaning that comes from knowing control rests in a loving God who wants to be intimately involved in our lives. All we need do is let Him. When we live in dependence on God and under His lordship, the way we were designed to live, then we will find our significance and purpose in Him. We are loved by One far greater than the stars, and that makes all the difference in the world.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, though I sometimes wonder why You feel so distant, I know the truth is that You are with me and in control. Thank You for loving me and giving purpose and meaning to my life. In Jesus’s name.