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1 You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. 2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. 3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. 4 Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely. 5 You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. 7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” 12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. 23 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:1-12, 23-24 NIV Bible)
Chances are the one person on earth who knows more about you, if you're married, is your spouse. Mom might be in second place. But in first place of all time and space, is God. The psalmist knew that there was no one who knew him better than God. David knew that he was an open book to his maker and creator, The Lord God. Where do you think Santa Claus got that refrain, "He knows when you've been sleeping, he knows where you're awake?" He stole it from King David! Okay, he wasn't the one who wrote the song, but the writer did "borrow" the idea of an all-knowing entity. But David sincerely and humbly gives God the credit for loving him enough to have searched him and know him. God is that type of God. And yet, David is the first to admit that it's just so awesome to know that God knows him in that way. "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain." He knows there is nowhere the can go where God is not there! If it were possible for him to get up to the heavens, God was there; if he went down to the depths, God is there already. And if he would go down to some place like Carlsbad Caverns where the darkness is so thick that one cannot see their own hand right in from of them, God could.
I have to admit that this knowledge is awesome, but a bit intimidating because if we stop to ponder the profound significance of what David is saying right here. The Creator of the universe, the God Who spoke galaxies into existence, knows you and me personally. God has searched us, and that includes every corner of our hearts, every hidden thought, every unspoken desire. That is nothing about us that escapes God's notice, and still, and in spite of that, God loves us unconditionally.
I think it is so amazing to consider that God knows our words before we even utter them? Yes, there are some words that I wish I had never thought of using, let alone having allowed them to slip out of my mouth. My first years in ministry I was preaching mostly in Spanish. My Wednesday night worship was a Bible Study in Spanish, and when the United Methodist Women would invite me, I would do a Bible study en español. One of the first nights, I used a word that we had used on the street that I had not considered proper UMW women would consider inappropriate. The look on my bride's face gave it away. No one made a big deal about it, least of all to my face, but that night I could have recorded a video, had that been as readily available as now, confessing to the world that I had embarrassed my wife by using a word that was not proper in a setting such as United Methodist Women. And thank God, He understands our hearts and discerns our intentions before we articulate them. In our moments of silence, when we can't find the words to express our deepest longings or fears, He knows them fully. I love what Paul would later write about how when we think we cannot properly pray, the Holy Spirit takes our sighs and makes them prayers before God. Isn't that awesome?
God, like a loving parent, encircles us with His protection and guidance. Whenever we may feel lost or overwhelmed, God's gentle hand guides us and provides us with the strength to persevere and overcome. What God is saying through David is this: We are not a mistake or an accident. You and I were wonderfully made by the Creator of all things. Every intricate detail of your being was carefully crafted by God's hands. We should bask in the awesome truth that we are masterpieces of God's creation, each one of us uniquely designed to fulfill a divine purpo
People should know this truth. And who better to tell 'em? You and me!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we stand in awe of Your intimate knowledge of us. Your understanding of our hearts and thoughts is beyond comprehension. Thank you for creating us fearfully and wonderfully. May we find comfort in Your unwavering love and draw closer to You each day. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Tell people that God loves them.
Receive my blessings of love and joy,
Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.
