Kathy Hoover
Psalm 139:1-10
Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai.
Psalm 139 verses 1 through 10. O Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up.
You discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it all together.
You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me. It is high.
I cannot attain it. Where shall I go from your Spirit, or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there. If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me. Welcome to Bridgeway Church Daily Devotional for Wednesday, December 11, 2024. My name is Kathy Hoover, and I serve as a community group leader at Bridgeway.
Today I’m going to talk about peace through God’s love. Recently I was scheduled for a medical procedure that I was quite anxious about. This was unusual for me to feel this way.
However, this involved my heart. The morning of the procedure I grabbed my Bible, placed it on my lap, and asked God to speak to me concerning my fears. I opened my Bible to Psalm 139, verse 16.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance. In your book were written every one of them, the days that were formed for me. When as yet there was none of them.
I was so moved by His empathetic words that brought comfort to my anxious heart. He spoke to the unknown that was creating anxiety within my soul. He loved me perfectly, empathetically, and intimately.
I had peace in that moment, for whatever happened, He was going to be there. Psalm 139 is such an expression of God’s abiding love. He is intimately aware of every aspect of our soul and spirit.
This is the deepest level of intimacy. Being known without the fear of loss of love, or experiencing rejection, is too wonderful. I cannot attain it.
It’s too high, the psalmist writes. Being known without the fear of loss of love, or experiencing rejection, is too wonderful. I cannot attain it.
It’s too high, the psalmist writes. Let’s face it, we can attain it. Our love is conditional.
This level of intimacy can be terrifying if we have secrets no one knows, or uncomfortable feelings like anger, anxious thoughts, or shame that is hiding us. And like Adam in the garden, we hide from God. Yet the psalmist wisely says in verse 7, where can I go from your spirit? He knows it all, and actually is waiting for us to meet Him in those places.
Verse 5 says, you have met Him behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. This means He has us totally surrounded, and there is nowhere to hide. Yet, when there is a struggle within our innermost part, harboring dislike or even hatred towards ourselves, it’s hard to receive God’s love.
We view ourselves through the lens of judgment, condemnation, and regret. How can God love me when I’m addicted to substances or other compulsive behaviors, or stuck in bitterness, unforgiveness, and resentment? Verse 11 and 12 says, if I say, surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night, even the darkness is not dark to you. The night is as bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.
Through His eyes of love He sees it all, the good, the bad, and the messy. Verse 17 and 18 says, how precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I count them, they are more than the sand. We are always in His thoughts and on His heart.
Without this deep, intimate connection with God, it’s difficult to receive His healing love and therefore have the peace that passes all understanding. All He asks for is a mustard seed of trust in His love. I invite you to pray this prayer along with me this Advent season.
God, I invite your searching gaze into my heart. Examine me through and through. Find out everything that may be hidden within me.
Put me to the test and sift through my anxious cares. See if there’s any path of pain I’m walking on and lead me back to your glorious, everlasting ways, the path that brings me back to you. Amen.
Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai