“O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD.”
In Psalm 139, we read that God knows us and still calls us beloved. God knows our thoughts and still holds on to the same divine dream for our lives, unchanging since we were created. Even with all of our weaknesses, God doesn’t run from us. Because of God’s nearness, we are never alone. And why does David write that such knowledge is too wonderful for him? He was the king of Israel, but consider what David was. He was an unlikely leader, not the one others would have chosen. He was a confessed adulterer. He was a rapist and a confessed murderer. He had multiple wives, a far cry from the picture of shalom painted in the garden. Yet God still called him and chose him and even called him a man after God’s own heart. I understand how David could struggle to believe that God smiled whenever God thought of him.
Reflect:
Read all of Psalm 139 reflecting on how it speak to David’s personal struggles with sin and shame. How can this speak to your own reaction to sin, shame, or other struggles in your life?
Pray:
Select portions of Psalm 139 to speak aloud to God as your own personal prayer.
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