O Lord, thou hast searched me (Ps. 139: la; read 1–24 as a prayer now).
A psalm we find difficult, because we think of omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence, and transcendence. But really a prayer in simple words. Four parts, equal in length, all about you and your God. One part hard to understand.
I. God Knows You, just as you are (1–6). Think of a physician with a fluoroscope, though the Celestial Surgeon sees vastly more. He alone can read the soul that he has made. Whatever is in it of good, he knows. Also, anything evil. How then do you feel under his all-seeing eye?
II. God Goes with You, wherever you go (7–12). On an ocean liner or in an airplane, you are in the presence of the Most High. Hence no region of earth can be God-forsaken. Also at home, in midnight gloom or noontide splendor, the Lord is with you, tender to sympathize, mighty to save. One of the most wondrous facts about God! Learn to welcome his presence!
III. God Has Made You, just as you are (13–18), except for sin, which he permits but does not cause. Body and soul alike come from his hand, perhaps the most wondrous of his created works. You cannot change your stature, or personality. But by his grace you can make the most of yourself as a beloved child of God and, like your Lord, a devoted servant of men. Also, because God has made you a person like himself, you can worship him now in the beauty of holiness, and afterward in heaven live with him to enjoy his presence forevermore, all through Christ.
IV. God Enlists You on his side (19–24). This difficult part we often pass by as though it meant nothing now. But it shows that God is “the Source of the distinction between right and wrong.” Indeed, his only Son “died for the difference between right and wrong.” For that difference he bids you live and, if need be, die. In the world today there is a battle unto death, and God bids you be on his side. What less can it mean to be a Christian today?
How do you feel while under the searchlight of God? Ashamed and sorry for sin and weakness? Yes! But also full of gratitude and zeal because God himself in Christ opened the way to find pardon, cleansing, and peace, as well as joy and endless hope. Meanwhile, if you wish to live with him hereafter, where beyond these warring hosts there is eternal peace, he grants you the privilege of battling for “the crown rights of the Redeemer.” What less does it mean to be a Christian? Are you a Christian? If not, become one now.
