An Exact Number

“A

n exact number,” that’s what my mom had said.  She knew that in a few moments the phone would ring and my grandfather would be asking about the number of quarts of green beans she had canned the night before.  This was always his routine.  No matter what the season, grandpa always called every morning at 6:45, checking to see how we were doing.  But during the summer months, when we were putting up vegetables in the pantry or freezer, he always asked about the number of pints, quarts, or bags of vegetables my mom had prepared.

Whenever he asked, he expected an exact number; approximations were not good enough for him.  Grandpa wanted to know the exact count.  I was never sure whether he was keeping his own tally but it wouldn’t have surprised me to learn that he was.  He always wanted to make sure we had enough of everything we needed and if the count was less than he thought it should be, he would find more vegetables for us to preserve.  He didn’t stop until he was satisfied we had enough food to last us through the winter.

Such love and concern always amazed me and made me feel very special.  No matter what was happening our lives, grandpa’s call was always a sure thing and his desire to make sure we had everything we needed provided great security and stability to my own life.  I could always count on that call and that meant a great deal to me, especially as a young boy.

Jesus’ disciples must have felt this way as he taught them.  His teaching was filled with examples of God’s love and concern for His children.  He took every available opportunity to show them how much God loved them.  His parables were filled with examples, a father looking for his wayward son, a shepherd searching for the one lost sheep, and a man who stopped by the side of the road to help a wounded stranger.  All of these stories reassured his listeners that God loved them, that he cared for them, and that nothing escaped his notice.  Whatever happened to them, he knew about and whatever they needed, he was aware of.

But perhaps one of the greatest statements Jesus ever made about the love of God and His concern for us is to be found in Matthew 10:30.  In this one sentence, Jesus communicates just how much God knows about us and just how closely He maintains watch over our lives. Jesus said, “And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”  

Wow, what a statement!  Three small words, very, all, and numbered should make us all feel loved and secure.  By the word very, Jesus means that the least detail of our lives doesn’t escape God’s notice.  By the words all and numbered, Jesus tells us that God’s concern for us isn’t approximate, it is total.  God doesn’t know the approximate number of hairs on our head but he knows the exact number!

If my grandfather wouldn’t settle for anything less than the exact number of jars of vegetables in our pantry, how much more do you think God cares for you?  How much more attention does he give you on a daily basis?  Lots!  In fact, God gives you his full attention, not just at 6:45 a.m. but at every waking moment of the day and every sleeping moment of the night.  You are never out of his reach, never out of his view, and never out of his mind!   What a wonderful and awesome God we serve.  What a privilege to be called his child!!”