and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
you know it completely, O LORD." Psalm 139:1-4
God knows me! He knows you too! You're not just someone He knows in passing, like the person who bags your groceries every week. He really and truly knows you, and He watches out for you. God knows when you lay your head down at the end of the day, and He knows when you wake in the morning- and do you know what He thinks in the morning about you? Oh, good- they're awake now. I want their day to be wonderful and blessed, and I want them to make the right choices today. He sees you as you go about your day. He sees your interactions with your neighbors, your family, your children, and your coworkers. I love where it says that God knows the words on my tongue before they even come out. I wonder how many times He shakes His head, wishing I would make a better choice with my words.
"You hem me in—behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. " Psalm 139:5-8
I know how David was feeling when we wrote these verses. So many times, I'll be reading my Bible, or even listening to someone preach and I really, really wonder- who am I that I understand this? Why is it even important for me to know this particular thing? But it seems that once God starts to reveal His Word to someone, He doesn't stop- there's no getting away from it. Those times where maybe I take a break from the Bible studies and readings, I encounter so many people who do it for me and want to share it with me. When I'm not purposing to dig in, God brings it to me instead. He knows me that much- and loves me that much- that even when I don't seem to care much for getting to know Him better, He seeks me out instead.
"If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,"
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you. " Psalm 139:9-12
Even during those rare times where we try to hide from God. Those times where we're simply being stubborn, or we just don't want to deal with the hassle of being a child of God, He will still be there to guide us and hold us tight. His love for His children is unrelenting. He will not let us go! Even if we turn to darkness for a time, His light will go with us and protect us, and be a beacon to us as the way out of the darkness. Darkness and evil have nothing on the light and love of God. There is no power in the universe that can withstand the power of the Almighty God.
"For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be. " Psalm 139:13-16
Every parent comes to that point where we realize exactly what these verses are saying- that God's works are wonderful. When a new child grows in a mothers belly, it is always a miracle- every single time. Every time a new child is born, we get to relive that miracle. And while the miracle of life is a great miracle itself- how much more is it to know that God knew us even before we were unformed. Before we were even a thought- God KNEW us. Before I was born, God knew exactly what I was going to look like, what my life was going to be like, and exactly how many days, hours, minutes, and seconds my life was going to last.
"How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake,
I am still with you.
19 If only you would slay the wicked, O God!
Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!
your adversaries misuse your name. " Psalm 139:17-20
How precious are God's thoughts! What child wouldn't like to know exactly what their parent is thinking about them? I even think about dating- think about how you're getting to know someone, and you feel a connection, and you really, really want to know if the other person is thinking the same thing, but you're too afraid to ask, for fear you'll be shot down. Yet we can know God's thoughts if we spend time with Him, and spend time with His Word. And think about being on the schoolyard as a child. Think about those times when maybe a bully would say something about your parents. Oh, it would make you so mad! As children of the Most High, why do we not get the same anger when someone speaks about our Heavenly Father in that way? Why do we not try and do something about those who misuse His precious name?
"Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD,
and abhor those who rise up against you?
22 I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
and lead me in the way everlasting." Psalm 139:20-24
Search me, O God, and know my heart. Do we mean it when we say that? Do we have anything hiding in there that maybe we think we don't want God to know? To See? Well, we know He already knows what's in there. We know He already knows everything about us, but the last verse is the one that gives us such hope. When we invite God in, when we invite Him to take charge, we allow Him to clear out anything that is offensive to Him. And we give Him permission to lead us in the way that leads to everlasting life. When we get to this point of complete surrender we will find the surrender is completely worth it.
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