Grace CRC Midweek Devotion: Week Eleven
Scripture: Read Psalm 139:13-16
Devotion – “Finding Jesus in the Psalms” from The Worship Initiative: You formed my inward parts; You knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are Your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 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. (Psalm 139:13–16)
No one knows about something better than the one who engineered or designed it. If you want to understand how your car works, you would ask a mechanic or even better, the designer of the car. If you’re curious about the inspiration behind your favorite novel or who a particular character is supposed to represent, write the author and ask them. If you’re trying to decide whether to go with the Samsung Galaxy or the new iPhone, look online for reviews from engineers who understand all the features. Typically, when you start to ask some questions, the builder or engineer answers questions you weren’t even asking yet. They know what they’ve made so well, so intimately, that you cannot exhaust their knowledge of it or their passion for it. You leave not just with a sense for how the thing works, but of how much more care and love went into that car or story or cake than you ever realized.
Psalm 139 tells us our Creator knows His own. If you want to understand yourself, ask the Mechanic who built your body, the Engineer who mapped out your mind and soul, the Author who wrote your story. The God in the heavens, sustaining and ruling all that is, is intimately acquainted with every human being because He made each of us Himself — living, unique, complex, known.
David writes, “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” (Psalm 139:1–3). Nothing in our lives or minds escapes God’s notice. He’s attentive to every second of our short existence on earth. Whoever you are, He knows you more deeply, more completely than you know yourself. Who else would we then turn to when we have doubts, fears, troubles or unspeakable joy? God knows you because God made you. Like a mechanic with his car, or an author with her book, or a baker with his cake, God can explain every inch of you. He placed every bone in your left index finger. He sewed together the tissue in each of your lungs so that they would process oxygen every couple of seconds. Breathe in; breathe out. He can recite every word you will say in that conversation later today (Psalm 139:4). He’s behind you, and He’s out ahead of you (Psalm 139:5). He knew you before you were born, and He knows every single day of your life as if it had already happened. Every moment you live is a moment He persevered for you with His power. He upholds the universe and everyone in it with the word of His mouth (Hebrews 1:3). You cannot escape Him (Psalm 139:7–10). Because of this, every day no matter what you are doing or the situation you are in, run to your Father through the Savior who made you right before Him. Curl up near the author of your soul and find rest for that day and the rest of your tomorrows.
Reflect
- Attribute: Worship your Creator God and ponder on His attributes. Offer gratitude to Him for creating every cell in your body, giving you breath and for knowing every part of your most inward being. Thank Him for sending the perfect sacrifice, Jesus, to make us right with Him. Tell Him what it means to you to be known and cherished by the Most High God.
- Pray: Humbly confess your sins to the One who knows them all. Ask Him bring to your mind things you are not aware of or are not admitting to yourself. Ask your All Knowing Father to create a clean heart and transform your mind. Pray for our world. Pray for healing. Pray that those who do not know Him will be drawn to Him and have their eyes and hearts opened. Pray for God’s children to turn from their sinful ways and humble themselves before Him with renewed awe and reverence for the One who knows them intimately.
- One Kind Act: As you meditate on how well you are made and how well God knows you, ask Him how you can be His servant today. How can you bless and uplift someone? Ask Him to write a direction for today on your heart – the one He made and knows – and then dedicate yourself to following that direction.