The psalmist wrote, “Lord, you have examined me and you know me. You know everything I do; from far away you understand all my thoughts.”  Psalm 139:1-2

When the children are all together for vacation Bible school, the babble is deafening. They are excited, telling stories with their friends, singing, and clapping from sheer exuberance. I cannot pick one voice out of the crowd.

Think about all the prayers lifted to God in a single moment. To our ears, it might seem a babble — so many people, so many cares, so many words to tell the Lord! But God hears each specific prayer, whether it is spoken, silent, eloquent, halting, desperate, or ecstatic. God hears each prayer separately and knows each person’s need.  This is remarkable and reminds me of what I saw with the cattle on a friends farm. Each spring, he inoculated the calves, first separating them from their mothers. The noise was deafening. The cows milled around outside the enclosure while the calves mingled inside. How could they ever be sorted out and matched? But when the gates were opened, after a little jostling and a lot of bellowing, each cow and her calf moved off together. In all that confusion, they recognized each other through scent and sound.  God picks each of us out of the crowd. God knows every hair on our head, our voice, our scent. God rejoices over us and longs to be with us.

Dear God, we are amazed by your love. Help us to show your love to everyone we meet. Amen.