Though He is High, He Regards the Lowly

Ps. 138: 6 – “For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly …”

One tiny verse, filled with so much hope. No other religion in the world can claim this–that though God is high and exalted, lofty and lifted up, he still regards the lowly.

I’ve stood at a Buddhist temple outside of Tokyo where I observed a man teaching his 4-year old daughter how to bow and offer sacrifices appropriately to the Buddha. But Buddha was not regarding the lowly state of this precious little girl.

I’ve stood in the streets of Travandrum, India where men parade through the crowds pulling wagons behind them attached to giant hooks that are driven through their backs, tearing their flesh with every step. The reason? To atone for their sin. But the Hindu gods do not regard the lowly state of these people.

I’ve smelled the stench of death in a Ugandan hospital where I watched two premature babies drift out of this life and into eternity because they had zero means of life support. There was no IV, no drop of medicine and no single medical tool to speak of. They were simply lying on a gurney wrapped in dirty cloths in their mother’s lap.  Moments after they went to be with Jesus, I had the glorious privilege of leading the father to faith in Christ. Jesus saw their lowly state. And He cared.

Only Yahweh, the God of the Bible regards their lowly state–regards your lowly state.

In the very next chapter, Psalm 139, the psalmist says in verse 17, “How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast the sum of them!”

What an incredible thought–that the Almighty God of the universe is thinking precious thoughts toward You and toward me in this very moment. And before you begin thinking how anthropocentric this idea is (man-centered), think about the response that it should naturally incite within you. For me, it incites a renewed passion to know Jesus and to make Him known. It’s not man-centered at all. He thinks precious thoughts toward you and toward me, and the result of that is that we desire to “make known to the children of men your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.” (Ps. 145:12)