Considering Your Value

INTRODUCTION

Do you ever feel empty or useless? I mean, deep down, when it's quiet and everybody else is in bed? Or when you're driving and you don't have to pay much attention, do you start thinking about where your life is headed, what you've done or haven't done? Do you ever pause and add up what your life amounts to and - well, come up short?

Or maybe you just feel like a rat in a cage, turning the big wheel. Life is a treadmill of the same-old, same-old. You're working hard, but it doesn't feel like you're getting anywhere. You feel under-appreciated, overlooked, underpaid, or even unnecessary. The struggle is real – and different for each person.

It seems to me that most people who take the time to reflect on their life struggle with these incomplete feelings and dead-end thoughts. Some people wrestle with them every day. If you take stock of your life and say, "What difference does my life make? Does anybody really know or care about me?", then you're in the right place at the right time this morning.

God has a word for you in Psalm 139. He wants to show you a different picture of your life. He wants to give you a view from the top, to help you see the meaning of your life from His perspective.

There are four truths that, if believed, are guaranteed to replace pity-parties with purposeful pursuits as we learn the true value of our investment in others.

God Knows You (v. 1-6)

Look at the words that are used in this text to show the depth of God’s knowing you:

You have searched me. (v. 1)

The word “searched” literally means “to examine with pain and care.” This is the same Hebrew word used in Job 28:3 to refer to the examination used in mining operations. And this is also the same word used in Judges 18:2 when the sons of Dan sent out five members of the family to search out the land.

It is a thorough and complete examination. Just as if you had to go in for a surgical procedure; you would want the doctor to do a thorough job to search for any further problems while he/she is working on you.

You know when I sit down and rise up… (v. 2)

None of our actions are hidden from God. Everything we do is before Him.

You understand my thought… (v. 2)

None of our considerations are hidden from God. We have no private moments or musings!

You scrutinize my path… (v. 3)

The word “scrutinize” means that He is measuring our “path” (what we say and do) to His standard

[You] are intimately acquainted… (v. 3)

Before there is a word on my tongue… (v. 4)

You have enclosed me… (v. 5)

[You] have laid Your hand upon me (v. 5)

Each of these phrases convey a different layer of God’s knowledge of you. Combined, they show God as a masterful detective, tracking even our most mundane activities, studying us even when we think we are alone.

God knows your heart, your fears, your thoughts, motives, dreams, and frustrations.

He knows your past, present, and future.

He notices what’s going on around you, to you, and inside you. He gets you.

In fact, God has you pegged better than you do.

You think your motive for doing something is ‘X’, when God, who is not fooled, knows that it is ‘Y’

And even with all that before Him, there is the word picture in verse 5, where it shows that we are in God’s hands. This is strikingly similar to what Jesus says in

John 10:27-30:

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.

What is the conclusion of this matter? How does David address it?

He says, it’s too wonderful for me…I cannot attain to it.

David's first instinct is the same as ours – “How can I escape? Where can I hide? If He knows all that, He knows I'm a hypocrite, He's heard my lies, He saw what I did last week."

Yet, what we see in verses 7-12 is that:

God Pursues You (v. 7-12)

No matter the height or depth, God is there with you. In verse 8, Heaven represents the highest of heights and Sheol represents the lowest of depths. No matter how high or low we go, God is there.

That's what David is saying in verse 10 when he says, "If I could ride the sun's rays and fly at blinding speeds to some remote place or bury myself under miles of ocean, even there, Your hand will lead me (that's guidance); Your right hand will hold on to me (that's security).

You know what this means, don't you? You are wanted by God. Over and over in the Bible, we see this affirmed. We are called God's beloved, chosen, dearly loved children.

We are told in…

Romans 8:38–39 ESV

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Oh how He loves you and me. And He pledges to us that now that we belong to Him because of faith in Christ Jesus, we will never be separated again. God knows you and wants you.

Not only that, but…

God Made You (v. 13-16a)

It was God who knit you together in your mother's womb, and after He made you, He threw away the mold.

You are totally unique, a one-of-a-kind, fashioned with awe-inspiring skill by the Almighty right down to the fingerprint. And as an old preacher used to say, "God don't make no junk!"

So, if you don't like what you see in the mirror, you have been taking your cues from this carnal world rather than your Heavenly Father, the one who made you for Himself.

There is no one in history like you. He gave you a personality, innate abilities, spiritual gifts, and a particular purpose that sets you apart for Him. You are His treasured creation, made in His likeness. God knows you. He wants you. He made you…

God Has A Purpose For You (v. 16b-18)

What would you do if you knew how much more time you had left on this earth? Since we do not know how long we will live, we ought to live everyday as though it is our last.

James 4:14 ESV

yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.

God has created each day of your life, considering the circumstances, establishing boundaries, and providing opportunities for His glory and your good.

He doesn’t just set the plan in motion and look the other way. His thoughts are on you constantly.

CONCLUSION

He knows you; He pursues you; and He made you with a purpose. Are you ready to live out that purpose for Him?

If I had a $100 bill and offered it to you, would you take it?

But what if I ball it up and throw it on the ground - would you still want it?

What if I stepped on it, kicked it, and even spit on it? Could you still go to the store and spend it?

Yes!

A $100 bill has value because of what it is, not because of how it looks, where it's been, or what it's been used for.

A crisp, clean $100 bill is worth the same amount as an ugly, older, more used one.

You may feel like you've been stepped on, beat up, or kicked around. You may feel dirty, unworthy, or useless. Just know this - you matter to God.

Maybe your parents have said words that ring in your ears to this day; or they didn't say the words you were longing to hear! Maybe your spouse has rejected you verbally, emotionally, or physically.

Don't let what another human does define you and don’t let your circumstances determine your worth.

Look higher - You matter to God so much He sent His Son to die for you. When you put your faith and trust in Jesus, you belong to Him and you are cherished, you are His - forever!