Grains of Sand

Reading: Jeremiah 1-3, Hebrews 9 I was a surprise to my parents, born late in their lives. God wasn’t a bit surprised. When I was in my early teens, a “friend” of the family told me that I should never have been born. God had a different opinion on that subject. So when I read God’s words to Jeremiah, I nod my head knowingly. “ The word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart. I appointed you a prophet to the nations’ ” —Jeremiah 1:5, NIV. I like that thought. It’s not unique to Jeremiah. David echoes it in Psalm 139: “…you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were writte...

Here's a beautiful reminder: " For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body ." —Psalm 139:13-16a

A friend of mine recently traveled to Florida for the births of two new grandchildren. Her step-daughter was due at the end of April, and her son's wife was expected to deliver at the end of May. In the meanwhile I was busy preparing for a series of studies on The Lord's Prayer. The two events melded as I thought about the phrase: " Our Father … " Those two babies came into the world with absolutely nothing, buck naked and totally dependent. Those are the conditions necessary for entering the Kingdom of God. We come with nothing and are totally dependent on the goodness and mercy of our Father in heaven. This was the message that Jesus delivered when He took the child into His arms and said: " I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven " —Matthew 18:2, 3. We can add nothing to our salvation except trust. It is only as we stand before Him with nothing to offer that we can receive everyth...