God Speaks
For the choir director: A psalm of David.
1 O Lord, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.
2 You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
3 You see me when I travel
and when I rest at home.
You know everything I do.
4 You know what I am going to say
even before I say it, Lord.
5 You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too great for me to understand!
7 I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
8 If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave, you are there.
9 If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.
11 I could ask the darkness to hide me
and the light around me to become night—
12 but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
Darkness and light are the same to you.
13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
16 You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.
17 How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.
They cannot be numbered!
18 I can’t even count them;
they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up,
you are still with me!
19 O God, if only you would destroy the wicked!
Get out of my life, you murderers!
20 They blaspheme you;
your enemies misuse your name.
21 O Lord, shouldn’t I hate those who hate you?
Shouldn’t I despise those who oppose you?
22 Yes, I hate them with total hatred,
for your enemies are my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
Source: New Living Translation: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: Consider the following questions regarding Psalm 139:
1. What does this psalm tell me about God?
2. What does this psalm tell me about the human beings He created?
Here is one possible answer to each of these questions. Ask the Holy Spirit if there are any others for you personally to ponder.
1. God knows everything about us as human beings. There is nowhere we can hide from Him.
2. Each individual should daily ask the LORD God to examine their heart and life and to point out to them anything that offends Him.
Prayer:
3. How might I pray regarding Psalm 139?
O LORD, You know everything about me: whatever I do, whatever I say, even what I am thinking. I can’t begin to fathom the extent of Your knowledge. It is totally beyond my capacity to understand. Whether I go to up to heaven or down to the grave, You still see me. Whether I go east toward the dawn or west to the Mediterranean [from Jerusalem], Your strong hand guides and protects me. Light and dark don’t matter or interfere with Your knowledge of what is happening to me. You knew every day of my life before I was born. The quantity of Your thoughts toward me is astonishing. Because of this, I tell evil, wicked people to get away from me. I’m determined to stand against anyone who is against You and Your ways, LORD. Examine my heart and life and point out anything that offends You. I want to bring glory to Your name. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
4. What action does the LORD want me to take in response to Psalm 139?
- I will search for the hymn Search Me, Oh God by J. Edwin Orr that is based on verses 23 and 24 of this psalm.
- I will memorize Psalm 139:23-24 so that I can put them into practice.
- I will look for ways to stand with people who are trying to stand up for what is right in God’s eyes. (for example, the March for Life)
- I will daily ask the LORD God to examine my heart and life and to point out to me anything that offends Him.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.