What do you think God thinks about you? Psalm 139 depicts God’s intimate, articulate, and unflinching knowledge of the detailed expanse we call our lives.

Nothing random or contemptuous dominates God’s attentiveness to me. This psalm shows that, even before God purposefully made me, He knew all about who I am (verse 16).

Because God discerns my individual thoughts, His thoughts about me are personal and are particular to me (verses 1, 2). He also knows the precise words I use to express myself (verse 4).

God’s thoughts about me are perpetual. In this moment God knows, for example, whether I sit down to surf the Internet or stand up to get a snack. He keeps pace with all my pursuits and pauses (verse 3).

God pervasively surrounds me. Fencing me in, He simultaneously goes ahead while guarding my back. Although I don’t physically feel it, His protective hand is on me (verse 5).

Even when I feel distant or full of darkness, He is always present and perceptive. All darkness is “see-through” to Him. What happens to me is permitted only after His security check (verses 7-12).

God’s thoughts about me are persistently plentiful. As countless as sand on a shore (verse 18). Can you even imagine?

He doesn’t just think of me in this way. We are all precious to Him. Let us intentionally choose to welcome the wonder of His focus as we bask in the concentration of His care.

Oh, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, thank you for your unbelievable awareness of me – just one little person among the 7.6 billion people on this planet. Thank you for the sheer genius of your capacity to create and know each one of us. Thank you that I receive your constant care, and that I can agree to bask in your intimacy with me. Rather than hoarding my own evaluations of myself, thank you that I can allow your thoughts to be precious to me, to fill me with gratitude and rest even during demanding days. Amen.

Go Deeper — At the end of the psalm, although the writer sees that God knows all about him personally, he still asks God to search his heart and thoughts to detect any “grievous” way in him. Do that today. Then ask God to lead you “in the way everlasting” (verse 24) and wait for Him to guide you in the next step.

Related reading: Learn how to pray bravely like David — Let God See You Naked.



Tags: Psalms Psalm 139
Photo Credit: Matic Kozinc