All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you. Psalm 139:16-18
Heavenly Father, it’s my birthday, and the number just keeps getting bigger. There’s a part of me that would like to turn the clock back for a possible “do-over,” especially for certain stretches of my life. But then again… not really. Your name is Redeemer, and I’m finding you to be the God who restores years eaten away by locusts and the God who is making all things new through Jesus… praise your glorious and grace-full name.
As “vast” and “great” as the sum of my years seems to me today, vaster and greater are thoughts of you. I have enormous joy in affirming that the number of bone-headed things I used to think about you is decreasing, and the number of heart-endearing things is increasing. Keep rescuing me from thoughts of which you are not worthy, and keep on filling my heart with a greater knowledge of who you really are.
I humbly and gladly affirm with king David, “How precious to me are your thoughts.” Father, the number of my years is calculated merely in terms of several decades. However if I tried to “do the math” concerning your glory, mercy and grace in Jesus, I’d have to count every grain of sand on every beach that has ever existed!
Lastly, it’s a source of incredible peace and freedom to know that you’ve ordained all of my days for me. That doesn’t feel like unfair fatalism, but rather, Fatherly affection. I’ll not live one day more or one day less than you decree, by your sovereign purposes and eternal pleasure. I’ve already outlived my mom by 49 years and my dad has outlived me by 31 years and holding.
All I ask is that each additional day, week, month or year you appoint for me in this world… that each will be filled with a greater grasp of the only love which will never let go of me. By your Spirit, Father, continue to reveal to me how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ-the only love that surpasses knowledge (Eph. 3:18-19). Everything else will take care of itself. So very Amen, I pray, in Jesus’ matchless and merciful name.