Day 146.
O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. (Psalm 139:1-4 ESV)
This passage reminds us how well the Lord knows us. He knows everything about us, including every word we say and thought we think. He knows where we are going and what we are up to. This is either a comfort or a fear, depending on your heart’s disposition. For the psalmist it is meant to be a great comfort. He goes on to write,
You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it. (Psalm 139:5, 6 ESV)
It is dreadful to think that we are left to ourselves in a world that is filled with enemies. Will we be safe? Will we somehow thwart God’s plan for us by stepping off his grid, like a child does when he lets go of his father’s hand and runs off in his excitement to see something? Is there ever a moment like that with God? A moment that our enemy might have to strike? No, there is not. What a great comfort!
And yet, there are times too when we’re afraid that the Lord DOES see. There are times when we are more like the wicked who says, “The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive.” This is the definition of the fool who says in his heart, “there is no God” and so lives his life accordingly.
But we are to be comforted by the reality that God knows and trust that He will preserve our life and tune our hearts away from the siren song of the world and toward His glory.
AMEN! fms