Mensa Otabil - God Is Mindful of Us (10/05/2025)
We are looking again at Psalm 8, verses 3 and 4. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have ordained, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you visit him? David asked two questions: why does God think of us, and why does God reach out to us? These questions are ones that many people have considered.
Some look at the vast expanse of the universe and creation, the diversity of creation, and conclude that human beings are just a fleeting accident of evolution. They feel we have no significant place on this earth and that we are nothing. Sometimes, when you look at all the vastness of creation, you may ask the question, «Who is man?»
You may conclude, like the nihilist, that man is nothing, or you might align with the agnostic or the atheist who believes it is all just a series of events with no significance. But as Christians, we see our place in creation as an intentional act of God. God willed it, and God placed us here. We are here because God put us here; we’re not here by accident. There is a divine plan in the way things work in our world, and later in the psalm, we will look at why God put us here in the first place. Here, he’s discussing two things God does that baffle him. He says, «What is man that you are mindful of him?» God is mindful of us, and that is a huge idea-God thinks about us, and his mind is full of us. We occupy his attention.
The theme or insight from the psalm is that despite the vast gap between God and his creation, and sometimes our own sinfulness, we matter to God. We are important to God, and he takes an interest in us. Although we may appear like tiny dust in the grand scheme of creation, we are still important to God. If you look at our size, you may think, «Oh, we are nobodies,» but God is mindful of us. Never think of yourself as a nobody or a nothing; when you look at everything happening around you, God thinks about you. He’s interested in your life, and you are important to him. God is mindful of us.
The second thing David says is that God visits us. What does that mean? It means that God reaches out to us. The Hebrew word translated as «God visits us» comes from a root word meaning to hunt out, to seek out, to long for, and to care for. So when he says God is visiting us, it means that he is pursuing us. He runs after us; he seeks us. Not only does he think of us, but he reaches out to us. His eyes are on us; his ears are open to us. He hears our heartbeat, our thoughts, and the desires of our hearts.
In a world filled with rich, powerful rulers and people who receive all the attention, if you are poor and alone, you may think, «Oh, nobody cares for me; nobody knows me; nobody thinks about me.» Just know this: the Creator of the universe thinks you are a big deal. He thinks about you, and he’s reaching out to you.
Ultimately, God reaches out to us through Jesus Christ, when God himself became flesh-Emmanuel, God with us. God reached out to us and pursued us, even to death on the cross. That shows you the value we have in God’s sight. That’s what David was contemplating when he looked at what God had enabled him to accomplish-fighting for his nation, bringing down a giant-and he wondered, «Why do I deserve all this from God? Why does God think about me? Why does God choose to use me? Why does God speak to me? Why did God visit me in the desert, in the wilderness, among my sheep?»
God does all these things because we are important to him. He cares for us, and he will pursue us. I want you to know that God thinks about you and cares for you. No one may care for you, but you can be guaranteed that he cares for you and is reaching out to you today.
Let us pray. Say with me: Heavenly Father, I am here because you placed me here. Thank you for making me a part of your plans. In Jesus' name, amen and amen. I’ll catch you again tomorrow. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.