My Hairs Are Numbered

Remember how I said my mind keeps pouncing on random toughts and tweaking them into possible blog entries? Well, here's an example of a thought that actually turned into a blog post.

As I was brushing my hair this morning and pulling the hairs out of my brush to throw away, I thought of the time when Jesus said God knows how many hairs I have on my head. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Luke 12:7(NIV)

Then I noticed hairs still clinging to my Goody Self Holding Rollers ("Adds Body and Lift – No pins or clips" in English, French and Spanish); the hairs remained from when I ripped the rollers out of my newly-washed-and-dried locks two days ago.

Now, my brain was on a roll. I remembered the hairs I recover from the carpet by my bedside (by moistening my fingertips and moving my hand in circles on the rug; yes, I throw them away; yes, I do vacuum my carpet). Not to mention the hairs that cling to my fingers as I’m washing my tresses (but I just did – mention them, that is) – the ones I have to rescue from going down the drain, lest I find myself having to call Rotor Rooter.

Well, I think you have the picture (too much of a picture, perhaps?).

Bottom line: keeping track of the number of hairs on my head would be a full time job, if you weren’t God.

But I wanted to know more about this hair-numbering metaphor used by Jesus to tell me how intimately God knows me.

So I went to the context (always a great idea when studying God’s word). The hairs-on-your-head image in Luke 12: 6-7 is also found in Matthew 10:29-31. It comes in the middle of some warnings and encouragements Jesus gave solely to His disciples before addressing a crowd of thousands. He warned the twelve against the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and against those who have the power to "throw you into hell." Then He encouraged them with His familiar phrase "fear not." He started with another metaphor, the one used in the song "His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me." Jesus said, "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father." Matt 10:29 (NIV)

So here’s the parallel – God sees every sparrow that falls to the ground, and similarly God knows every hair that detaches, separates, disconnects from my head. And the good news is that I am "…more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows." (NLT)

When I ponder how much God knows about me – even down to the number of hairs on my head – it astounds me. How can He do that? How can He know everything about me and then duplicate the phenomenon with every person He placed on this earth?

Then I realize, if He knows such a minute statistic about my physical body, how much more He must know the details of my inner being – the place where He lives, by the presence of His Holy Spirit. He must know my thoughts, my longings, my emotions, as well as the details of my relationships.

Over and over again in my life, my Abba-Father takes me to Psalm 139, to tell me who I am and to further refine my experience of who He is to me.

1 O Lord, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3You sift and search out my path and my lying down,
and You are acquainted with all my ways.
4 You know what I am going to say
even before I say it, Lord.
5 You both precede and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too great for me to understand!

Indeed, He knows me completely. This attribute is His omniscience, a big word for "He knows everything." I echo David’s response – such knowledge is beyond me. "It is high, I cannot attain it." (NKJV) But I can be comforted by Jesus’ words, "Don’t be afraid." God’s knowledge of me is not a fearful thing, because of the value He has accorded to me as His beloved. He has placed His hand of blessing on my head.

I bow down and worship Him – for knowing me completely and for touching me with His blessing of love.

NG

P.S. Psalm 139 verses are from the following translations : 1 NLT, 2 NIV, 3 Amplified, 4-6 NLT.