KNOWN BY GOD
Opening Prayer
God, I thank You that You hear me when I call. I am overwhelmed when I think of all Your thoughts toward me.
Read Psalm 139
1 You have searched me, Lord,
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.
4 Before a word is on my tongue
you, Lord, know it completely.
5 You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay 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?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 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,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
13 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.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, 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, God, would slay the wicked!
Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
20 They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord,
and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
22 I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
God sees you. God knows you. God is with you. Rest quietly in his presence.Many love this psalm because it describes so accurately our mix of emotions and thoughts as we contemplate the God who is all-knowing, all-seeing and ever-present.
How do we feel about God knowing us through and through? How do we feel about God seeing us wherever we are (7–10), whatever we are doing (1–4)?
At times, we may feel restricted by God’s all-seeing eye (5). Knowing that we live in the presence of a holy God may make us want to run or hide (7–9,11,12; Luke 5:8; Isa. 6:5). Knowing God and being known by him can be overwhelming (6), yet a great comfort (13–18).
As David contemplates God’s omniscience and wisdom, he comes up against that perennial thorn in our faith: why does God not deal with the wicked? The vehemence of verses 19–22 may shock us (we know God’s view on loving enemies!), but I know that these words echo my inmost thoughts when I see evil and injustice in our world. Maybe that is why this psalm finishes the way it does (23,24). Our Creator knows us, he is committed to us, so we can trust him to deal gently with our troubled thoughts and our offensive ways (24).
Apply
Meditate on the truth that God knows you completely. Allow it to settle in your heart and mind. Write down how that makes you feel.
Closing prayer
Place yourself in God’s hands using the prayer of verses 23 and 24.
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