2020 was a challenging year.

The Covid-19 pandemic caused pain and misery around the world and instigated quarantines everywhere. The consequences were devastating. 

• Isolation.
• Financial hardship.
• Marital struggles.
• Divorce.
• Negative attitudes.
• Self-devaluation.
• The devaluation of others.
• Suicide.

Many questioned if God cared. They wondered why a loving God would allow such a horrible thing to occur. Some wondered if their lives mattered to God at all. Those are reasonable questions, and the answers are in a Psalm that David wrote many years ago.

David: Far From Perfect

David was a good-looking guy. In addition, he was a shepherd, a musician, an accomplished sling thrower, and a giant killer. Eventually, David became the second King of Israel. He seemed like the perfect guy, but looks are deceiving.

As he got older, he committed adultery with Bathsheba and, when David found out she was pregnant, he schemed to have her husband killed in battle.  The child died. Later he had other children, and when they became adults, one of his sons tried to kill him and take over the kingdom. So his life was far from perfect.

Seven Reasons

Despite all the mistakes David made, he got one thing right; he knew he mattered to God. With all the negativity and destruction the pandemic brought to the world, we all need his insight. So in Psalm 139, David wrote seven reasons why he mattered to God.  

• He knows me. (v. 1-4)
• He cares for me. (v. 5-6)
• He pursues me. (v. 7-12)
• He wants me. (v. 13-16)
• He thinks of me. (v. 17-18)
• He understands me. (v. 19-22)
• He leads me. (v. 23-24)

Gaze/Glance Principle

As we place these reasons in our hearts and minds, something interesting takes place. We begin to gaze more at God and less at the difficult circumstances and problematic people in our lives. I call it The Gaze/Glance Principle. It’s a simple fact, the more we focus on our Lord, the more opportunities we have to say confidently, I matter to God! It’s a choice. We can gaze at God and glance at the problems, or we can gaze at the problems and glance at God. The latter accentuates misery. The former highlights truth, peace, love, and joy.

Want to Know More?

I produced a series at The Harbor Church called I Matter that goes over the seven reasons why you matter to God in detail. I use the seven reasons in my life when tempted to gaze at the problems and glance at God. Which, by the way, happens more than you may think.

So if you have ever questioned or are questioning if you matter to God, read Psalm 139 and watch the sermon series. I hope it encourages you as much as it has inspired me.

Click the link https://theharborfl.org/watch/ and then click the drop-down menu and click Past Sermon Videos. There you will find the entire I Matter series.

 David Towner is the author of Today Is My Favorite Day and has been the senior pastor of The Harbor Church in Odessa, Fl, for twenty-three years. He is married to his wife, Tonya. They have three beautiful girls and four awesome grandsons.