Psalm 139:1
Do you have someone in your life who knows you better than anyone else knows you? Someone who knows what delights you, one who knows how to comfort you when you are sad or lonely? That person is a treasured gift from God!
I encourage you to take some time to read Psalm 139. You will discover that God knows us even better than we know ourselves! There is way too much in this chapter for a single devotional message, so today I just want to focus on verses 1-6.
Verse 1 says “You have searched me and known me.” The following verses tell us what He knows about us!
He knows when we sit down, and rise up (verse 2)
He knows what we think (verse 2)
He knows where we are at all times (verse 3)
He knows what we will say even before we speak a word (verse 4)
God knows everything about us! Not a moment of our lives escapes His attention! He is omniscient.
In verse 5 we learn that He “enclosed us behind and in front” (NASB). I looked up the meaning of “enclosed” in the original Hebrew. It means “to lay siege to.” Think of a conquering army completely surrounding a city in order to capture it. God surrounds us with Himself! He is our protector.
This reminds me of Job 1:8-12. Satan is talking to God about Job. He says “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have you not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has on every side?” How would Satan know about that hedge that God had placed around Job? He obviously had tried to attack Job in some way and had been unable because of God’s protective shield around Job. If we continue reading, we discover that God is sovereign over Satan’s power to attack Job. God puts a limit on how much He allows Satan to harm Job. He is omnipotent.
Job’s story encourages me to believe that God is the shield all around me. Nothing touches me without His permission. And whatever He allows, it is for His good purpose and our ultimate good. After all the suffering Job goes through, he has a greater understanding of God than he ever had before.
In verses 7-12 we learn that there is no place we can go to hide from God. Not the heavens or the deepest sea, not darkness or light will hide us. Genesis 3:8 tells us about Adam and Eve attempting to hide from God. Jonah 1:1-3 is the story of Jonah running the opposite direction from where God had told him to go. We are not able to hide from God. Nothing is hidden from Him. He is omnipresent.
Psalm 139 ends with the words, “Search me, O God, and see if there be any wicked (hurtful, offensive) way in me.” We might think that we are doing pretty good. Others might even think we are doing pretty good. But Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that we don’t even know our own hearts. God knows every thought, every word, every attitude, every motivation. If we truly want a pure heart that is pleasing to God, we can ask Him to search us. As He shows us what needs to be changed, we can confess and be forgiven. What an amazing gift!
PERSONAL REFLECTION
How do you respond to the truth that God knows everything about you?
If you are serious about asking God to search your heart, it takes time alone with Him. It takes time to listen in a place free of distractions, something it would be good to do often!
Is there anything you need to confess?
Write a prayer of thanks for what He has shown you. Know for sure that He has forgiven you for whatever you have confessed.