By Anita Carman, Founder and President of Inspire Women
Do you feel there is something missing in your life? Perhaps you are a child who never had your family's favor. Perhaps you are an employee who has been overlooked. Perhaps you are a leader who thinks you should be further ahead than you are. Perhaps you wish you had the kind of relationships and friends others seem to have. Perhaps you wish you had the youth and health of yesteryears. Does your heart long for a position, a ministry, a house, an inheritance, a clean bill of health, a relationship? Do you feel God is with-holding something from you? Let us hear from King David who was a man after God's own heart and learn to live in the freedom he discovered.
King David said in Ps 144:3-4: LORD, what is man that you care for him, the son of man that you think of him? Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow. NIV
Oh Faithful One, no matter what your dreams are, the fact remains that your time on this earth is microscopic compared to God's eternal timeline. Whatever you have your heart set on, what God wants to do is to carry us into being part of His dream that will live on for eternity. Below is what David's observation can teach us:
1. What is man that God cares for us? The fact that God gives us anything should make us stop in our tracks and celebrate. The God of the Universe looked our way and chose to bless us. He blessed us with the greatest gift of all, that of giving us His one and only son who paid the full penalty of our sins. In light of that, all other gifts pale by comparison. This doesn't mean we should not ask God for what our heart longs for. However, we should ask for this with the full confidence that we are appealing to one who has not spared His most precious gift of His one and only son who died for us. Therefore, we ask knowing God has a track record of generous giving towards us. We also ask with the full humility that "God, you don't need to do one more thing for me but should you choose to grant this desire of my heart, I would be most grateful."
2. What is man that God thinks of him? Not only does God care to provide for our needs, He also thinks about us. What thoughts go through God's mind when He thinks about us? In David's case, one thought God had for David was to give him the opportunity to assist his son in building the temple. Observe, however, that Solomon was doing something God cared about. Instead of indulging those who are not surrendered to God, may our lives be about investing in those who are building what God cares about! In the midst of your relationships, will you make the choice to pour your emotional energies and resources into those who are serving God? In your waiting places and personal challenges, will you look for opportunities to encourage others so they can serve at their potential?
The fact is, when God thinks about us, His heart is always for the world. He blesses us in order that we can bless others. No matter how small we try to make our world by focusing on our own needs, God's Spirit will continue to enlarge our thinking. I wonder today if you are clinging on to details and relationships that are too small compared to the eternal world of your heavenly Father. Is it time for you to step into God's world?
3. What could God possibly do with man whose days are like a shadow? Buildings that go up can be knocked down. Businesses that thrive one day can go under the next. The only thing that matters is when we allow our successes to invest in those who share the message of eternal life with others. It is only when we rescue the perishing and lead them to having their names in God's book of Life that our lives have counted for something eternal. Oh Faithful One, instead of allowing all the details of the world to consume and distract you, how can you align your successes with God's eternal agenda? Then when you step into eternity, nothing has changed. In fact, you have simply stepped from an eternal agenda on earth to your place of eternity in your heavenly Father's kingdom.
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