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PROGRAM D-8296
Did you know that you are precious to God? I remember some years ago a friend of mine came to our Christmas concert at my church; he had never been in an evangelical church before. After the concert, his comment to me was that he found it quite unusual that our pastor would use the word precious to talk about God. “I’ve never heard anyone use that word in talking about God,” he said.
Well, he just didn’t know the Bible because it’s clear from Scripture that we are precious to God—we are loved, valued, and treasured! Look at Psalm 72:12-14 (NLT):
He will rescue the poor when they cry to him; he will help the oppressed, who have no one to defend them. He feels pity for the weak and the needy, and he will rescue them. He will redeem them from oppression and violence, for their lives are precious to him.
And Isaiah 43:4:
Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life.
When was the last time someone said, “You are precious to me”—or at least some words that made you feel precious, loved, and valued? I want you to know that if you are born from above and have received Christ as your Savior, you are precious to God!
As a child, what kind of relationship did you have with your earthly father? It is true that the way our earthly father related to us has a strong effect on our relationship with our Heavenly Father. So,
- Did you feel taken care of?
- Did you ever worry about what you would eat, wear, or where you would live?
- Did you have a full sense that your Dad loved you?
- Did he express his love to you in ways that you could feel it?
- Did he ever abandon you?
- Was he harsh and demanding?
- Was he mostly an absentee father?
- Was he emotionally removed from you?
The attributes and characteristics of our earthly fathers become our measuring rod, our comparison, and our definition of what a father is. Some of us were blessed with loving, caring fathers, but for those who had distant or harsh fathers—or worse still, abusive or nowhere-to-be-found fathers—believing and accepting that you have a Heavenly Father who sees you as precious is not so easy to do. Let me assure you—it is true! You are precious to God!
