Sometimes I can’t help thinking about life; about our relationship with God – the way we think and the things we do and say. I also wonder how God views our every act and why he relates to us the way he does. It is clear to me that God takes time to understand our concerns and every need and so I can say for  a fact that GOD IS INTERESTED IN OUR LIVES. You might appreciate my thoughts on this matter better if you read the biblical passages to get the full gist.

Let’s take a look at Adam & Eve [Gen 3:1-13, 21]. They disobeyed God and got themselves naked against God’s will. And after the mess, they did not think they needed God’s help; they tried to sort themselves out and came up with a flimsy solution, hiding themselves!, but God sets in and provided a better solution for them – he made clothes of skin for them.

How about Cain [Gen 4: 1-16]? He gave just anything to God and then got upset that he was rejected. God sees his mood and is concerned  about how Cain feels but he would not open up to God. God goes on to advise him to be cautious because ‘sin is crouching at his door, it wants to rule him but he must overcome it!’ God did not forget about him just because he did a wrong thing (i.e. did not honor him) earlier. God was very willing to help him. He showed him he had the power to overcome. Yes, if we would listen to God, we would realize we have more power and resources than we imagine to deal with the challenges that come our way. But Cain loves his sick state – he ignores God’s caution and advice. He goes on and kills his brother and when questioned about his brother’s whereabouts, he plays smart but indeed rude or insulting – ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’, he asks God.  Anyway, God decides to punish him and he sobers down by reason of what he feared; he doesn’t repent or tell God he is sorry, he does not even directly plead with God for mercy but pours out this fear/worry. Just watch it- God is moved and assures him of His protection. And this is so beautiful. Yes! And that is God for you; so merciful and not easily angered; so caring and alert to our needs. This does not imply we can live anyhow and think we can get away with it. What it means is that God always gives us chances and his grace abounds while we can tap into it to change our ways. Paul says (Roman 2:4) that God shows great kindness, mercy and patience to those who do not know him in order to lead them to repent so they can come to know him. There is a time for everything and certainly a time when everyone will have to account for their actions (Galatians 6:7-8)

Anyway, back to our main gist. Look at Noah [Gen 6:5- 14; 7:1]: he was the only righteous man of his time yet God saved his family too so as to make him happy – imagine if Noah had lost all that he loved dearly, would he have appreciated his salvation if it brought only grievous memories? Noah did not have to ask; God was proactive in discerning and meeting his needs just in the same way he provided a help meet for Adam [Gen 2:18 -23].

And there is also the story of Lot [Gen 19:12 – 22]. When the angels went to rescue Lot from the destruction to befall Sodom and the near by cities, (1) they were willing to save any Sodomite, even though all of them were wicked, that may be  related to Lot – inlaws – for Lot’s sake.  (2) Lot was reluctant to leave but the Lord had mercy on him and the angels had to take him and his family out of the city. They then gave him specific instructions as to where to run to but Lot pleaded the distance was too much for him and wanted to go to one of the little towns rather. The angel decided that, that town would be spared for Lot sake and waited for him to get there before they took action. God was patient with him in all of these and what’s more? God pays attention to our concerns and sometimes alters his plans to accommodate our fears and needs.

There was someone else in the picture of Lot’s story – Abraham who had earlier on interceded for Sodom and Gomorrah [Gen 18:16 –33] but there were some lapses in his intercession which could have left Lot’s family of four out; if his daughters’ fiances were to be included that would make six but Abraham’s plead ended with a consideration for 10 righteous people. God did not find 10 righteous people in Sodom, so Abraham’s prayer does not serve Lot’s rescue. Yet in Gen 19: 29, the Bible tells us that ‘when God destroyed the cities of the valley where Lot was living, he kept Abraham in mind and allowed Lot to escaped to safety.’ Isn’t this beautiful? – That God looks beyond the words of our intercession to grant our desires even when we do not or cannot express them. God always have his chosen ones in mind.

How about King Abimelech [Gen 20: 1-14]? Abraham ‘lied’ to him and as he makes his defense before God who was not pleased with the situation, God said in verse 6 ‘Yes I know you did it with a clear conscience; so I kept you from sinning against me and did not let you touch her.’ Here again we see God guiding us in our ignorance and judging us based on what we know yet providing us with the knowledge we need to live a life free from undesirable consequences – yes the knowledge or the means to gain the knowledge.

We can take a look at Abraham again. God made a promise to him that took so many years to fulfill. Before the fulfillment of the promise, his wife Sarah suggested an alternative way to meet this dream and he submitted to her idea [Gen 16:1- 4]. In due course, God gives Abraham the son he promised him and Sarah now wants Abraham to get rid of Ishmael and Hagar [Gen 21: 9- 14]. Abraham was greatly troubled because Ishmael was also his son but God sets in to resolve the issue. God does not always wait for us to come to him when we are in need, he comes to us when we need him but cannot ask for help or are too caught up in our worries to acknowledge he is always there to help us.

There are quite a number of such interests in human affairs as shown by God. I’d like to share the psalmist experience with you. Psalm 139: Here is a man who thinks God is too involved in his life; everything about him is bare before God and he doesn’t seem to like it so he tries to get away from God. He discovers that he can’t escape from God. Don’t get scared thinking who is this who won’t let you be. I don’t think God was that interfering in his life as might sound; He simply was just so concern as to watchfully watch over him. But this is not the issue. The issue is that if I was God and being so mighty and seeing this ‘no anything’ called man thinking I am not needed or a burden and so trying to get off my watch, I’d simply crush him. Case closed. I don’t know if you see with me the implication of the psalmist action.

Anyway, God doesn’t get offended, but verse 10 puts it like this: you would be there to lead me, you would be there to help me. I once read a translation that says you would be there to gently lead me back to yourself. What love; what care? I’m sure you will appreciate more clearly what I want you to see if you read the attempt made by the psalmist to flee from God. Of course, it is all figurative. And here comes the most beautiful thing – a thing we would all, if we haven’t, come to realize and that is the psalmist realization as in verse 17& 18. Living bible puts it this way: how precious it is, Lord to realize that you are thinking about me constantly! I can’t count how many times a day your thoughts turn towards me. When I waken in the morning, you are still thinking of me.

God is ALWAYS THINKING ABOUT US.