How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I could count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You.
Psalms 139:17-18 AMP
Recently, I had a phone conversation with a respected baseball coach who is also a good friend. He shared his story with me. He said, “As I drove home a few days ago after having lunch with my best friend and fellow coach, I thanked God out loud for him. He knows me and loves me in spite of things I don’t love about myself. Like you, he’s one of a small circle of baseball people in my life who accept me as I am—my quirks, my habits, my failures, and my mess-ups. Still, there are parts of my story I resist sharing even with him and others that I love—times where I’ve clearly not been the right person, times I’ve been judgmental or unkind or unloving, and times I’ve been coaching with the hammer not the heart. However, I do understand that God knows my whole story. He’s the One I can freely talk to even if I’m reluctant to talk with others, and He’s still writing my story.”In the verse above, the familiar words of Psalm 139 describe the intimacy we enjoy with our Sovereign King. He knows us completely! (v. 1). He’s “familiar with all [our] ways” (v. 3). He invites us to come to Him with our confusion, our anxious thoughts, and our struggles with temptation. When we’re willing to submit and yield completely to Him, He reaches out to restore and rewrite the parts of our story that troubles us because we’ve wandered away from Him.Listen closely! God knows you better than anyone else ever can or will, and still . . . He loves you! His thoughts about you outnumber the sand that covers the earth. You are constantly on His mind. There is nothing you can ever do or not do, too separate His love for you. When you daily submit and surrender yourself to Him, and seek to know Him more fully, He can change your story for His glory. He’s the Author who’s continuing to write your story—don’t steal His pen!Love God! Love People! Live Sent!Be Worth Being,KevinSUBSCRIBE TO "OVER THE HUMP" DEVOTIONALKevin Burrell has worked in professional baseball as both a player and MLB scout for the past 40 years, and currently serves as an area scouting supervisor. Kevin was drafted in the 1st round of the 1981 free agent amateur draft (25th selection overall), and played ten years of professional baseball with four different organizations. He and his wife, Valerie, live in Sharpsburg, Ga.
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