God Thinks of You

By Esther Smith

I was texting with a friend the other day. We were sharing back and forth about life—all the daily struggles and burdens of living with chronic illness that can make it hard to get through the day. We ended our conversation, and she sent a final text. “I’m thinking about you and praying for you.” I sat there and absorbed those words. They meant a lot coming from someone who I know cares about me deeply.

The next morning I read Psalm 40. A verse stood out to me in a new way as I remembered my friend’s text. Psalm 40:17 says, “As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me.” I sat with that for a moment. The Lord thinks of me. The Lord thinks of you. What a touching thought.

Later that week, I shared this verse within a chronic pain and illness support group. Once again, we sat with this truth. We remembered that God was with us. Not only was he present, but his thoughts were fully turned, fully engaged, fully attuned to each of us in that moment. As we reflected, a group member offered another encouraging truth. She was encouraged by a reminder that Jesus prays for us. We considered Romans 8:34, which teaches, “Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.” God thinks about you. Jesus prays for you.

Does this feel encouraging? Or does it feel completely inadequate? It’s understandable if we want God to respond in more active and practical ways. Speaking for myself, I want healing for my conditions. I want relief from my pain. Unlike my friend, God has the power to alleviate my struggles and fix my burdens. He can do more than think and pray. For more than a decade and a half, various health struggles have consumed my life. The faith questions that arise from this have in some ways shifted and changed over the years, but they have not dissipated. And all this leaves me curious about why this verse about God taking thought of me felt so touching.

What does it imply that God turns his thoughts towards me? Thinking of someone implies care and concern. That person has not forgotten you or abandoned you. You think of someone when that person is important to you. Perhaps that person holds a special place in your heart. Your love for that person gives you a constant reminder of his or her existence and need. We know God’s character, which gives us a sense of the type of thoughts he might have towards us—thoughts filled with emotions of compassion, mercy, sorrow, joy, and delight. There are times when it moves me to think about God thinking of me in that way.

The fact that God turns his thoughts towards us offers hope of how he might act. We don’t know how or when. Psalm 40 describes a process of waiting patiently. The psalmist declares what he knows about God’s character and remembers times when God has responded and rescued in the past. Psalm 40:17 ends with a declaration and a request: “As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; you are my God, do not delay.”

All this doesn’t equal a promise for healing from our chronic conditions. But there is something hopeful in considering the possibilities that may come out of God’s thoughts towards us and Jesus’ intercessions for us. Imagine with me. God is thinking of you. Jesus is right next to him praying for you. Somehow, I wonder if the thoughts God has towards you might be impacted by what Jesus is praying for you. It’s hard to genuinely think about someone and pray for them for long before you feel compelled to act.

David Heflin

Executive Director

David Heflin is the founder, former president, and current executive director for Broken and Mended. He is married to Katie and has three kids. David was a preacher for over 20 years until he stepped down to focus fully on the mission of Broken and Mended. He started Broken and Mended in 2018 after being inspired by his own battle with chronic pain to connect other hurting people to Jesus and each other. David has a B.A. in Bible from Oklahoma Christian University and a Master of Arts in Religion from Azusa Pacific University. He resides in Woodward, OK.

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