“LORD, remember David, and all his afflictions: How he sware unto the LORD, and vowed unto the mighty God of Jacob; Surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my house, nor go up into my bed; I will not give sleep to mine eyes, or slumber to mine eyelids, until I find out a place for the LORD, an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob.” (Psalm 132:1-5)
The Psalmist described the wicked this way: “God is not in all his thoughts.” (Ps. 10:4) Surely, this is the condition of the vast majority of men: they rarely, if ever, give God or His concerns a thought. David was certainly a rare man, so much so that God called him “a man after mine own heart.” (Acts 13:22)
What made David so unusual? He possessed a peculiar interest in God’s person. Not only did he want to behold God’s beauty, He wanted to give God the honor that was due Him. How could David go to sleep at night in his sumptuous palace and God have only a tent to dwell in? This didn’t sit well with the king. He determined not to enter into his home, nor sleep in his bed, until he found a place fit for his glorious King.
Paul realized that most of those he knew were consumed with self-interest. Only Timothy was truly caught up in the concerns of Christ. “For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s.” (Phil. 2:21) Jesus gratefully received personal ministry. “And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance.” (Luke 8:2,3) He refused to reprove the woman who poured her precious ointment on His head. He commended her “for she hath wrought a good work upon me.” (Matt. 26:10) He said her act would be remembered wherever the gospel was preached in all the world. (Matt. 26:13)
God has been thought of as a being who wants nothing. No, He does not need us as we need Him; but He wants our love and appreciates our care for His person. He remembers those who remember Him. Because David remembered the Lord, the Psalmist prayed, “LORD, remember David, and all his afflictions.” David had a very real knowledge that God’s thoughts toward him were beyond counting. “How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand” (Ps. 139:17,18) Surely, this is how true, reciprocal intimacy works. Each party is always thinking about the other. “How are you doing?” “Is everything alright?” “What can I do for you?”
If God was more in our thoughts; we would have a greater realization that we were in His thoughts. Those who don’t give God the time of day, doubt God is giving them the time of day. But He thinks on us before we think on Him. He loves us first so we might love Him in return. Love is always inquiring into the welfare of another. It makes the concerns of another more important than our own.
It wouldn’t hurt us to think on what would make God happy today. Is there anything He would want from us? Instead of asking Him to bless us, how about we ask how we could bless Him. And to go one step further, let’s think of how we could bless Him even beyond what He asks of us. We may not have the means to build Him a house, or anoint Him with precious ointment, but if we give it a little thought, there is always something a loving heart can come up with to bless their Beloved.