Thursday thoughts: 'Nothing in our lives is beyond God’s attention' By JILL JOHNSON Wednesday, February 28, 2024 We are going on a trip soon that will be out of the country. I have a huge “to-do” list before I can leave that involves both things I need to do for work and things I need to do to get myself ready for the trip. As I was thinking about my “to-do list” I thought about God. In my mind, I thought how wonderful it would be to not have to worry about a to-do list. The truth is God never has to worry about a to-do list. That is a mind-blowing thought to me that with all the people in all the world God never has to make a list for any of us. In Psalms 16:8-9 the Bible says, “I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for He is right beside me.” In Proverbs 5:21 the Bible says, “For your ways are in full view of the Lord, and He examines all your paths.” God doesn’t need a to-do list because He has the ability to see everything you think, say, and do! The truth is that nothing in our lives is beyond God’s attention. He doesn’t make lists because He is the keeper of all lists. He is all-knowing and aware of everything about us. There is security for me in this because I know He will not forget anything, where unfortunately at times I do. He will not make any mistakes and there is not a day that passes that I don’t make mistakes. He does not have to learn anything new and the older I get the harder it is to adjust to all the things that are new in this technological world. He also NEVER changes and I think this is what gives me the most security. His promises, His Word, and His love never change. He will never ever need a to-do list and for this I am very grateful. Another thing I have to do before I go is to leave an “out-of-office” message on my work email. This gives anyone who emails me some direction on knowing that I am gone and who they could contact to help them while I am gone. If I don’t have an out-of-office message on my email it leaves any emails unanswered. It also leaves people to wonder why. They could think I just didn’t care to respond or maybe even that I didn’t think they mattered enough for me to respond. It made me think does God ever have to post an “out-of-office” message?. Does scripture ever say He is on vacation or asleep? Of course not. In fact in John 5:17 Jesus said, “My Father is always at His work to this very day, and I too am working.”In Joshua 1:9 the Bible says “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” God is NEVER out of the office. He is with us every day and all day. In fact, God never sleeps! In Psalms 121:4-5 the Bible says, “Indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you; the Lord is your shade at your right hand.” Again there is so much security in this scripture for me as well. God won’t doze off. God will never let His guard down. God is my guardian and my protector. I thought about the word guardian. The definition of guardian is a defender or a protector, a person who looks after and is responsible for someone who is unable to manage their own affairs. I am the legal guardian for our almost 40-year-old special needs daughter. The strange thing is the court system will only let one person be the guardian. Even though Wayne and I are both her parents there can only be one person named as the guardian. Wayne and I are responsible to manage her affairs and make decisions that will protect her. We feel and carry this huge responsibility. There have been many decisions that we have had to make for her and also many times we have moved her for her protection. Our goal is to make the best decisions on where she will live and to keep her safe. She will probably never know or realize all the times or reasons we have made decisions on her behalf. There are times she gets upset and frustrated with us because she doesn’t understand why we might change things in her life, but we always have her best interest in our decisions. I think the same is true with us as God is our guardian. How many times has He protected us from harm? How many times has He defended us or managed things we didn’t even know needed to be managed? I don’t like to admit or think about this but how many times have I been upset or frustrated because things didn’t go the way I thought they should or happen in the time frame I wanted them to? God has our best interest always in His mind. He is our guardian. For believers, He is the ONLY true guardian. We cannot serve or have two! He watches over us when we sleep and protects us while we rest. He does not need a to-do list, an out-of-office message, or instructions. He defends us, protects us, keeps His eye on us and will never leave us. Really we could say we are God’s to-do list because we are always on His mind. Because of that, He desires to take care of us whether we are “in the office” or “out of the office.”  If that doesn’t make you feel secure then I don’t think anything will. I am really excited about our trip. I have prepared to the best of my ability. I have taken care of all that is on my to-do list. I have also left information on my email as an out-of-office message. There are things I am sure I have not thought of but God has. There are unexpected things that will happen that I don’t know about but God does. The truth is God will always be with me, will never sleep, and will always be my protector and my guardian. God will do that for each and every one of us who have accepted the free gift of salvation. I just wonder why would anyone NOT want the security of God as their guardian. Our to-do list should include sharing this information with others. We should tell others that He can be their guardian and protector. In the same sense I feel challenged to strive to live each day with the assurance and security of the truth that I have a protector who constantly has me on His mind and knows exactly what I need and what is best for me. I have a guardian and am so thankful I do. The question is, do you? Who is your guardian and protector? I pray it is the only one you will ever need – GOD. ___ Jill Johnson, a staff member at the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, finds spiritual applications in her everyday experiences as a wife, mother, grandmother and Georgian. She is available to speak to your church's women's gatherings. Reach her at jjohnson@gabaptist.org. --- PULLQUOTES --- Quote: He is with us every day and all day. In fact, God never sleeps! --- PHOTOS --- File: 20230105-130542-Jill Johnson thumbnail.jpg Caption: Jill Johnson