December 8
Amos 7-9
Psalm 139:1-6
Proverbs 29:9-10
Revelation 2
Known
“You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.” Psalm 139:1-6
For some people the idea that God knows everything about them is a scary thought. I think the way you perceive this depends on your view of God. If you think of God as a judge or king sitting on a throne looking down waiting for you to mess up, then this is very scary. If you see God as Santa Claus who is making a list and checking it twice to see who is naughty and nice, then you probably don’t want God to know all the naughty stuff you have done or thought about doing this year. But if you think of God as your Heavenly Father who loves and cares about you, you have a different perspective. God knows everything we have ever done, everything we will ever do, all our thoughts, all our hurts, all our motives, our deepest desires, and our deepest insecurities. He knows before we mess up that we are going to mess up. And thankfully, He is not on His throne waiting to zap us and He isn’t up there looking down in disgust because we messed up again. He isn’t mad at us, and He isn’t going to give up on us. He knows the good, the bad and the ugly, but when He sees us, He is filled with love and compassion. He is sad because He knows that what we did will cause negative consequences for us, or that it will take us further away from Him. He is disappointed because He knows that our actions are not what is best for us. He sees all that we can be, and He wants that for us. He does not want us to settle for anything less than His best. He is our biggest cheerleader, clapping when we get it right and proud when we listen and follow His plan. And when we do mess up, He is always there waiting to pick us up and help us get back on track.
As parents, we want what is best for our children, but we cannot always make it happen. They choose their own way sometimes and do not listen to our advice. As human parents, we don’t always know what is best. Our motives are good and our love for them is pure, but we can’t see the future, so sometimes we get it wrong. That is not the case with God. His plans are always best. What He tells us is always for our benefit. And because He knows what we are going to do before we do it, He often provides a way out for us. He puts a song on the radio at just the time we need to hear it, He sends a friend to give us encouragement, or He calls to mind a bible verse that tells us what we need to do. Because He knows us so well, He knows what we need, when we need it, and He provides it. Unfortunately, we aren’t always listening, so we miss it and sometimes we choose to ignore His prompts. The knowledge that we are fully known, and we are fully loved by the One who has the ability and power to accomplish His perfect plan for our lives is too wonderful to even fathom, and yet it is true. I pray that we embrace the reality and experience all its benefits.
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