He's numbered every hair on my .... face?

He’s numbered every hair on my…face?

If you’ve seen me at some point in the past week you’ve probably noticed my hair is longer than usual and my facial hair was unkept. To be honest, I hate shaving my face. I mean, I really despise it. It’s uncomfortable, messy, and I genuinely see it as a waste of my time. It’s 5-10 minutes of my time I could give to something more productive, but instead I have to do this because society thinks my unkept beard is ugly. Coach Gess and Coach Graham have military backgrounds so I assume that’s why they’re always clean shaven. Coach McClure has impeccable discipline so I guess that’s what gets him up to shave every morning (although I think he used to have a goatee). Anyway, last night I’m going through the agonizing process of cutting the hair off my face (with an electric razor) and I  notice random hairs popping off from the razor all over the bathroom counter (sorry, Katie). I thought about these hairs flying randomly all over the place and really began to deeply consider them. What was their path? Were they rotating end over end? Were they spinning like a screw? A combination of both? What determined where each hair went and landed? Some pre-determined force in the universe? Air pressure? Movement of air in the bathroom? Gravity? Chance? Randomness? 

My mind instantly flashed to a conversation I had earlier that day with our team chaplain, Neal Dose. As I’ll show, I believe this conversation and the hairs on my face were all working as a part of the providence of God. Neal and I were talking about an old Baptist preacher named Charles Spurgeon.  Today we refer to Spurgeon as the “Prince of Preachers.” Many today look at Spurgeon as the god-father of modern preaching and take whatever he said as the gold standard. I would consider myself a Spurgeon fan, but like with any preacher, I’m very weary to take whatever they say as truth unless it is backed well by scripture. If your pastor isn’t preaching directly from the word of God then you may want to consider getting a new church. I see so many pastors today on social media and the internet spouting off garbage and “feel good” messages that aren’t in tune with scripture. They tickle your ears but they don’t feed your soul. These are false teachers and God says he will deal very harshly with those that lead his people astray. God’s word remains supreme, even over your favorite pastor. 

Spurgeon came from a long line of preachers that believed in the absolute power, omnipotence, and sovereignty of God. Now, if I asked most of you if you thought God was almighty and all powerful, we would all say “Yes, of course he is. That is, after all, what it means to be God.”  Then I would press you a little bit on that and ask, “Well, just how sovereign is God? To what degree? To what extent?”  That’s where most people start getting uncomfortable with the question. And rightfully so. This is no doubt a difficult topic Here’s how Spurgeon answered that question:

“I believe that every particle of dust that dances in the sunbeam does not move an atom more or less than God wishes—

that every particle of spray that dashes against the steamboat has its orbit, as well as the sun in the heavens—

that the chaff from the hand of the winnower is steered as the stars in their courses.

The creeping of an aphid over the rosebud is as much fixed as the march of the devastating pestilence—

the fall of sere leaves from a poplar is as fully ordained as the tumbling of an avalanche.”

So, it becomes clear that Spurgeon believed God was sovereign over and ruled, controlled, and ordained every movement of everything in existence without exception, even referencing atoms and particles alongside stars and avalanches. In Spurgeon’s view, God was controlling how those tiny hairs flew through the air from my face and where they landed on the counter (again, sorry Katie.) 

But we have to ask, can this be? Is this really true? If so, what are the implications? At the end of the day, I don’t really care at all what Charles H. Spurgeon has to say about it. What does God and His word say about it? Here are some of my favorite verses that may help us here...

“In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,”

Ephesians 1:11

What is Paul saying here? Clearly, all things work according to the counsel of God’s will. I take “all things” to mean “all things.” Not some things—all things. Not just important things—all things. Not just things in nature—all things. Even tiny hairs. 

“The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.”

Proverbs 16:33 

A lot was an old way of making random decisions or choices. Today we might say “the dice are cast on the table but their every decision is from the Lord.” The writer is trying to think of the most random thing he can think of...like dice. And what does he say? In God’s world, their rolling and turning isn’t random. Every single one of those decisions is from the Lord. And so are all the movements of those little hairs. 

“Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’”

Isaiah 46:8-10 

What is God telling us here? He says “Remember this! Don’t forget this!...I am God. There is none like me. From the beginning, I have ordained the end. And I will do all that I plan to do.” This is amazing. Truly, a staggering statement. But could this include something as insignificant as hair? 

Well, let’s see what Jesus says. 

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.”

Matthew 10:29-30 

Sparrows were considered cheap, small, insignificant birds. One sparrow cost half a penny. And not a single one falls from a branch in a random tree in the forest apart from the will of the Lord. And even every hair on our head is numbered by God. And check this out...Jesus doesn’t simply say “my father knows how many hairs...” But he says that he has numbered them. There’s a difference. To number them means he’s involved. There is action on God’s part. He is intimately involved with us. It isn’t just knowledge, it’s care. There is deep attention to detail and provision here. We have just as many hairs as he wants us to have. And if one falls out, like the sparrow, it’s a part of his will. I think if Jesus were with me now, he’d say “Yes, even the hairs on your face.” 

Now, you can search the scriptures and find many other examples of this kind of language. From there you can decide for yourself what you think. But, I’ll ask... What if this is true? What are the implications? The implications are that I fall to my knees and worship this awesome God. I bow my head in reverence to this Lord and his infinite power and wisdom. I repent, wholeheartedly, for the foolishness and ignorance of my sin and I desperately pray that this mighty and holy God forgive me and draw me near him. I shout, I sing, and I praise the name of this God and mighty savior, that in his infinite goodness, gave me mercy and he loved me.  The same God that guides the galaxies and planets in their orbits and controls the gusts of wind or the rain drops and dust particles and, yes, even those hairs, saw it fit to be mindful of me, the rebel. Why? I don’t know. It doesn’t make sense to me. I would have given up on me. His ways are too wonderful for me, his knowledge is too high, his love is too deep.  All I can do is praise him and live for him.  All glory to Him!

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
    bring an offering, and come into his courts!
Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness
    tremble before him, all the earth!

Psalm 96:8-10

Amen! The Lord reigns!

Brett Collier