Psalm 139:1-6
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. [1]
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What is striking in these verses is what it says about how well God knows me. If God is omniscient, all-knowing, then of course all the things mentioned in these verses are true. But, speaking for myself, I am not always cognizant of their truth.
I am completely known to God. All my thoughts. All my intentions. All my excuses. All my self-justification. But also all my hurts. All my fears. My deepest dreams. My most persistent hopes.
I’ve never really liked the Children’s song “Be Careful Little Eyes.” Maybe it’s just me, but it comes off to me as portraying God as a divine policeman. God is like the NSA, watching over you for any sinful spiritual terrorist activity. So be careful.
But this psalm portrays God’s omniscience in a graceful light. David says that it is too wonderful for him, that God knows him so well. When I consider that my God is loving, gracious, and willing to die for me, then the fact that I am so well-known to Him is a source of comfort. I can trust Him with my life because He knows it and me thoroughly.
So I pray today for my God who knows me so well to direct my thoughts, words, and deeds. In my prayer today I commend myself and my day to the one who knows my every thought and intention. And it is a wonderful thing.
What is the Word leading you to pray about today?
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[1] The New International Version. (2011). (Ps 139:1–6). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
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