You are special

Do you believe me when I tell you that you are special? If you know me personally, it might mean a lot. If we've never met, it might mean nothing to you for me to say that you are special.

But what if God, the creator of heaven and earth tells you that you are special? Do you believe him? You matter to the God who is more powerful than you can imagine! He cares about all of his creation, but he takes special notice of you. Jesus tells us:

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Matthew 10:29–31 (NIV)

God cares about sparrows and we assign very little value to them. He will preserve them and he knows when it is time for them to fall. But you? He knows how many hairs are on your head. What a powerful statement of his love! God, who could occupy himself with anything, chooses to fill his time by knowing you better than you know yourself.

For some of us, that may be a scary idea. He knows us, which means he knows our sin, our failure, our utter inability to follow the least of his commands. This is true, but we are reminded:

God demonstrated his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Rom 5:8)

He knows our sin, and he wiped it clean anyway. He paid for it on the cross with the blood of the perfect Lamb, Christ Jesus. It is now as far as the east is from the west. That is how special you are to God! He didn't do it becuase he had to. He did it becuase he wanted to, becuase you are special to him.

When Satan tempts you to think you aren't special, let the truth of Jesus' message of forgiveness and love ring in your ear. Let God's preservation of the sparrows remind you that God knows you, he loves you, you are special to him.