Thoughts on Psalm 139
Psalm 139 is probably one of the best known Psalms in the Bible. For me it is referenced the most when talking about the unborn. In fact as I was decorating my soon-to-be first born daughter’s bedroom in our old house in MD, I had Psalm 139:14 on the wall above her crib/toddler bed: “…I am fearfully and wonderfully made…” – Psalm 139:14 But it had been a long long time since I’ve read the entire Psalm and last Tuesday night at prayer that was the focus. What did this Psalm say about God, about us, and about others? To gloss over the other 23 verses or relegate that Psalm to just one verse was missing the depth, the richness with which we are loved by our Creator. It’s God revealing his depth of knowledge of us and ultimately His heart of love for us, His children. Psalm 139 shows us that we were planned for (let that sink in), formed and woven by Him. It shows we are known intimately, loved always, thought of continually and seen eternally by our Creator. So much so in fact that He is with us wherever we would find ourselves and regardless of how we got there. See what He showed me the past week as I walked in the unknown of the future is that regardless of my own understanding or abilities, regardless if I heard His voice correctly, regardless of the choice I made, He was going to be there with me through it all, leading and guiding me through it. …”Even there”… Even in the place of greatest fear…even in my mistakes. So it was time to take the pressure off myself, my abilities to hear Him, and just trust that He knew me enough to know all my thoughts and workings and that He was big enough to make His will known despite my limitations or weaknesses as long as I remained surrendered to Him… and that even if I did screw up by falling asleep at the spiritual wheel, He was going to be with me through it anyways. It may be less enjoyable but it’s His presence that matters most….and as I seek to know Him in this journey through life he reveals just how much I am known by Him.
God’s Perfect Knowledge of Man
For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
139 O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
2 You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off.
3 You [a]comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.
5 You have [b]hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it.
7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in [c]hell, behold, You are there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall [d]fall on me,”
Even the night shall be light about me;
12 Indeed, the darkness [e]shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You.
13 For You formed my inward parts;
You [f]covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise You, for [g]I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
15 My [h]frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.
17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How great is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;
When I awake, I am still with You.
19 Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God!
Depart from me, therefore, you [i]bloodthirsty men.
20 For they speak against You wickedly;
[j]Your enemies take Your name in vain.
21 Do I not hate them, O Lord, who hate You?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?
22 I hate them with [k]perfect hatred;
I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
24 And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.
– https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm%20139&version=NKJV
A Life Well Loved 