Expressed Value

Do you feel valued? Too many people don’t. So, I’m here to tell you that God (not others) defines your value, and he says:

You are seen.

You are not alone.

You have purpose.

You have value.

God expresses our value many times in the Bible.

  • Matthew 10:30-31 – Our hairs are numbered, and we are more valuable than the many sparrows he provides for.
  • Matthew 12:12 – We are more valuable than a single sheep, yet the shepherd leaves the many to save the one.
  • John 3:16 and Romans 5:8 – Our eternal life was bought with the blood of Jesus while we were still sinners.
  • 1 Corinthians 10:13 – God provides a way out of temptations.
  • Ephesians 2:4-10 – You are God’s masterpiece and were created for good works.

Psalm 139 especially stands out as God telling us how much he values us.

Valued by God

God perceives you (Psalm 139:1-6). In other words, he is aware of, identifies, recognizes, discerns, envisions, and understands you. You are not invisible to him. He sees you. In modern vernacular, God “gets” you and does not take you for granted.

God also gives you his presence (Psalm 139:7-12). He is always in the immediate vicinity. You are never alone, no matter what you’ve done or how often others make you feel alone. God is always nearby waiting for you to reach out to him.

Not only does God perceive you and give you his presence, but he also planned you (Psalm 139:13-16). God arranged and organized for your existence. You were not an accident. Only something of great value gets the type of planning God gave you. Yes, the creator of the universe planned you and knows you intimately, better than you know yourself.

Never forget that you are precious to God (Psalm 139:17-18). You have great value to him. You are not worthless. After all, Jesus paid for your salvation with his life. You are dear and beloved to him.

Living Valued

Why do we feel invisible, alone, or worthless when we know how God feels about us?

  • Because we take our focus off what God thinks of us and put it on what others think.
  • Because others don’t meet our expectations, and we don’t think we meet theirs.
  • Because our sins and failures make us feel unworthy.
  • Because others treat us like they don’t value us.
  • Because Satan lies to us.

We cannot control what others say and do. We can only control what we say and do, and even that we struggle to do with consistency at times.

Not only that, but too often we don’t express how much we value others well enough nor do we let others show they value us. Yet, we must remember that we are often God’s conduits for expressing value

Staring Point

Shouldn’t the value God places on us impact how we live our lives? This value can be evident as you:

  1. Focus on what God says about you. Remember how much he values you.
  2. Know that he feels the same way about other people. Let this impact how you treat others.
  3. Express God’s value to other people. Let what God thinks of them be your motivation.
  4. Accept God’s value through other people. Let others show they value you. Accept it, and thank God for it.
  5. Thank God for your value. Be grateful that he perceives you, gives you his presence, has a plan for you, and considers you precious.

As we let God’s value define us and impact how we live our lives, we also find hope in what is to come. After all, don’t you feel more hopeful when you are valued?

Finding Hope

Notice that toward the end of Psalm 139 (vv. 18-22), David expresses himself to God with some pretty strong emotions. David has done this in other Psalms, too, and it shows us that we can express any and all feelings to God. After all, he knows them anyway.

Notice also how the beginning and the end of the Psalm use some of the same words: Search me and know me. They remind us that God knows what we need, and we can trust him to lead us. It is on this basis that David knows he can express himself so intimately to God.

We can trust God to give us value and to define who we are because he knows us better than we know ourselves. There’s hope in this realization because we know he knows what’s best for us. He knows what we need and will guide us down the right path. We only need to trust and follow his lead.