Grace and grains of sand

I will give you thanks because your deeds are awesome and amazing.
You knew me thoroughly;
 my bones were not hidden from you,
when I was made in secret
and sewed together in the depths of the earth.
 Your eyes saw me when I was inside the womb.
All the days ordained for me
were recorded in your scroll
before one of them came into existence.
 How difficult it is for me to fathom your thoughts about me, O God!
How vast is their sum total!
 If I tried to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
Even if I finished counting them,
I would still have to contend with you. Psalm 139: 14-18 NET

Even though the word grace or favor is not used in this passage of scripture, the idea of grace abounds. The psalmist, David recognizes that his own existence is part of a great scheme—part of a great God. He sings, "All the days ordained for me were recorded in your scroll before one of them came into existence." This is most certainly grace—every human being was planned, loved and formed by God before anything came into existence. We have the ability to glimpse God, and comprehend his love, but to even begin to fathom the thoughts of God is impossible for us.

The human mind has the ability to comprehend astronomical ideas and numbers. We have the ability to view the depths of outer space and even glimpse at the idea of eternity and other dimensions. Yet, the psalmist is correct when he says "How difficult it is for me to fathom your thoughts about me, O God!" David describes God's thoughts as grains of sand—countless because even as we count them, the number constantly changes. Then David says that even if we had the ability to count every grain of sand in the world, when we finished, we would still have a God who is bigger and more complex than counting all of the grains of sand—He is that much greater than our comprehension. Why would such a supremely powerful God love and plan for such meek creatures on this earth? The answer is grace.