O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it. Psalm 139:1-6
I have been thinking lately about all the anxieties I have in my heart; Taking care of family, business, worrying about taxes, worrying about if I can remain clean from sin, etc… Is there more to my life than worry? Yes! When I think about who I am as a person and all the failures I have had in the past, it really should remind me that God has kept me in His grace at all times. Whatever I have done, or whatever I have thought about myself pales in comparison to what God has always thought of me – He has thought of me as His child! And as His child I am in His loving care. Note how I used the word “loving.” He really does love us. Take away the high and lofty imagery of God sitting in a great temple unapproachable. Even though He is the King on high, He is very much approachable to us (even more amazing is that He approaches us first!). There are those who hike a mountain to get to the top so they can say “I did it!” And those who just like to hike and be in the presence of something breathtaking – being led to the top by the wonder of unpredictability. God understands our anxieties. They will most likely always come. But we can trust that God’s love for us abounds with acceptance and longs for our attention. Lets give Him our attention when our anxieties vie for it! He will no doubt lead us to understand that He is in control. Psalm 139 ends with this simple request: Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting. Let us pray for God to cleanse us from all unrighteousness and sin and that He always leads us in His way everlasting!