Read Psalm 139
How involved is God in our lives? According to Psalm 139, God knows us completely, is always with us, constantly exercises His power in our lives, and loves us eternally. So how involved is that ?
God knows us completely
God knows everything about us. And His knowledge encompasses every detail of our lives: when we sit and stand, wake and sleep. He even knows what we are going to say before we say it. And God has known all these details about us from eternity.
That God knows us so well is both sobering and comforting. Sobering, because God knows our every thought, word, and deed. Comforting, because God knows our needs before we present them, and He never confuses our needs with our wants.
And God’s knowledge of us is not merely intellectual, it is also experiential . When Jesus Christ, God the Son, came to be one of us, He also became one with us in our human experiences—yet without our sin. Consequently, we can never rightly say, “God doesn’t know what I’m going through.” He does know, because He Himself went through it.
God is always with us
Remember the story of Joseph? Here was a young man who was resented by his own brothers, cast into an empty cistern, and sold into slavery. When he refused to sleep with Potiphar’s wife, he was placed in prison. And yet we read, “But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy.” (Genesis 39:21) Throughout Joseph’s lifetime, God was with him. And throughout our lifetime, God is with us too.
When facing problems, we’re often tempted to think, “God has forsaken me.” But as David wrote in Psalm 139, God is always there for us. “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, 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, and Your right hand shall hold me.” (verses 7-10)
God’s power is at work in our lives
Psalm 139 alludes to the infinite power of God, especially as revealed in creation, whether the birth of the universe or the birth of a human being. “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” (verses 13-14) I’ve seen God’s power revealed in the vast, starry heavens; in the grandeur of mountains; in the myriad and complex forms of life on Earth. But I’ve never been more awed by that creative power than when watching the birth of my two sons.
We may be sick or suffering. We may be struggling to save a marriage. We may be worried about finances or our sins and failings. But God’s power is always mightily at work in our lives—the very same power with which He created the universe and raised Jesus Christ from the dead.
God’s love for us is eternal
But why would God want to know us or be with us or help us? Because He loves us. As David wrote in Psalm 139: “How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them. If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand. When I awake, I am still with You.” (verses 17-18)
It is the eternal love of God for us—the undeserved love that moved Him to sacrifice His own Son, Jesus Christ, for our sins—that fills our lifetimes with peace, hope, joy, and the certainty of salvation.
is a professor at Immanuel Lutheran College in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.