Measuring the distance of two metres, according to Timbits (small round donuts), made my smile.  Who came up with this clever ‘social distancing’ marketing idea? I like the creativity!  I would like to see the tiny donuts laid out in a line to count. Likely, the math was done by dividing the distance of 2 metres, by the size of a Timbit, and the count was 46.

Last night, at a meeting I virtually attended with the mission team of our church, Psalm 139 was read as a member’s favourite.  As I listened, I was struck by the counting that occurred.  You can sense the wonder the author experiences in considering God’s knowledge of him.

“You know me. 

You know when I sit,

and when I rise;

you perceive my thoughts from afar.

You discern my going out

and my lying down;

you are familiar with all my ways. 

Before a word is on my tongue, you, Lord, know it completely” (1-5  NIV).

“You know me inside and out.

You watched me grow from conception to birth. 

Body and soul, I am marvelously made” (13-14 The Message).

Amazed at God’s knowledge, “It’s all to wonderful for me!” (6) his words continue to spill with more counting. “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go to the heavens…if I make my bed in the depths…if I rise on the wings of the dawn..if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me.”

Counting God’s incredible knowledge of us, and unrelenting presence with us, leaves us amazed. Yet, there is even more, says the Psalmist.  “How difficult it is for me to fathom your thoughts about me, O God! How vast is their sum total.  If I tried to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand” (17). Our God thinks about us in ways we cannot begin to fathom or even begin to count!

The writer of this Psalm lives with awe. He knows that to live with the living God is an incredible gift.  “Let me rise in the morning and live always with you!” (18). J.I. Packer says, “You don’t get awe until you cultivate the sense that God is very great, and you are very small.” 

The accuracy of measuring ‘distancing’ with a Timbit count, I think, may be slightly inaccurate. Timbits, depending on their kind, can be different sizes. Today we are reminded that the ability to accurately count what God knows of us and thinks of us cannot be counted or even fathomed.  Wow! Incredible! Let’s live, with a sense of wonder of our God, today.  He knows us, is with us, and never leaves us because of one thing alone - his immeasurable love. 

I Stand in Awe

You are beautiful beyond description
Too marvelous for words
Too wonderful for comprehension
Like nothing ever seen or heard
Who can grasp you infinite wisdom
Who can fathom the depth of your love
You are beautiful beyond description
Majesty enthroned above

And I stand, I stand in awe of you
I stand, I stand in awe of you
Holy God to whom all praise is due
I stand in awe of you

All-knowing and ever-present God, our desire is to stand in awe of you today. We cannot count your thoughts towards us, nor can we fathom the depths of your love. As we stand in awe of you, we are renewed in mind, heart, and passion.  We count ourselves as those who are abundantly blessed in and through you alone. AMEN.

With care and in prayer,