I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, 15 even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father;
and I lay down My life for the sheep. – John 15:14-15
In looking at the religions of the world, even the harshest critical of Christianity would need to admit, if they were honest, that the Christian religion is unique in many ways. The heart of our religion, the gospel of Jesus Christ, is remarkably unimaginable. The idea that man is sinful and helpless is unthinkable to man in his natural state, and a God who would put a plan of redemption in place, come into the world as a new born child, live out the perfect life that Adam failed to live (Doctrine of Recapitulation), be tortured to death only to rise from the dead in three days – really! Yes, really, you can’t make this stuff up! Then offer eternal life as a free gift is a love unmeasurable. The entire plan of redemption from eternity past is a manifestation of love in its purest form, a love uniquely unhuman, yet to be realized in our process of becoming truly human as Christ is formed in us (Romans 8:29). The entirely of our Christian faith is only possible because of the sovereignty of God, and the many attributes of God including that God is good at all times. The sum of all of this and the incredible benefit to us is that God knows us and we know Him. As we look around at creation and observe the vast sky, the powerful oceans, the imposing mountains, the unique beauty and attributes of the animal kingdom, the sources of food and water to sustain life, and a million other things that make up our world, the truth that the God who made all things also made us for His good pleasure, to be in communion with us, to have a relationship with us, and to lead us in all good things for His glory! So as we dive into the first part of Psalm 139, we see that the knowledge of God is coupled with a God who is knowable and knows us!
In Psalm 139, we learn about the sovereignty of God, specifically His Omniscience (139:1-6), Omnipresence (139:7-12), and His Omnipotence (139:13-18). Lastly, we also see our response in awe of God (139:19-24). That is to say that God has all knowledge, God is everywhere simultaneously, and God is all powerful. It is by these three attributes of God, working with all of His other attributes, God is sovereign over all of creation. In speaking of the omniscience of God, Psalm 139 opens by revealing to us that God possesses all knowledge of the past, present and future, and there is absolutely nothing that He is unaware of. The message of the opening verses of Psalm 139 that is quite incredible is that God is personal and takes a personal interest in each of our lives.
O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
2 You know when I sit down and [when I rise up;
You understand my thought from afar.
3 You scrutinize my path and my lying down,
And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold, O Lord, You know it all.
5 You have enclosed me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is too high, I cannot attain to it.
In learning that God has all-knowledge, we see that God knows us better than we know ourselves. He is intimately acquainted with all of our ways, He knows our thoughts before we have them, He knows our desires, He knows our weaknesses, He knows our sins, He knows our secret sins, He knows what we love, what we hate and what we fear, and He knows our word before they ever make it to our tongue. This is so important to understand because as Christians, we are seeking to know the will of God in order that our wills be aligned to the divine purpose. Because God knows all, and knows us better than we know ourselves, and knows the future and results of our choices, we need to be seeking His will in order that we can walk the path He is directing us on (Isaiah 30:21).
In verse 2, we see that God knows when we sit down and when we stand-up. In other words, there is nothing in our lives that too insignificant for God not to take note of. It can be easy for us to be somewhat in different in life about the smallest things, but as children of God, He is fully engaged in our smallest actions and choices. With this awareness, it would serve us well to invite God into every moment of our lives, rather than our default to bring our worries to Him in prayer or give thanks for the big things in life; rather God wants to be with us in the little things as well, whether that is making dinner, talking to a friend, preparing a document at work, working out, or tending to your kitty cat. Hope and faith grow as a fruit of loving God by this constant communion. This practice allows us to step into the spiritual reality that God is always with us, which is tremendously comforting, especially amidst the unpleasant aspects of life. In his book, ‘Practicing the Presence of God’ Brother Lawrence poses the question, how can I bring glory to God working in the kitchen of the monastery. In taking up the challenge of 1 Corinthians 10:31, whatever we do, do all to the glory of God, Brother Lawrence realized that the invitation to invite God into the kitchen to peel potatoes would produce a joyful work that had previously felt like a chore.
In verse 2b and 3, this spiritual reality is expanded. God not only knows the smallest detail of our lives, but He knows our thoughts and He scrutinizes the path we are on. In other words, God know our hearts so well that He can see our thoughts that grow out of our desires, which lead us down various paths in life. God knows my habits, my instincts, my tendencies, my inclinations, and my fears, as well as my desires, my hopes, my dreams, my aspirations, my hope for others, and the secret miracles that push me to the edge of unbelief.
In verses 4 to 6, we see the all encompassing way in which God is intimately involved in our lives. He knows our thoughts before we think them and our words before we say them. He goes before us and guards our blind spots with His hand upon us. It is truly a knowledge that is unimaginable, far beyond any human thinking. These verses demonstrate the intimacy by which God knows us and is engaged in our lives. To have His hand upon us (v.5) is a picture of an adult comforting a child as that child takes steps forward. As we close this section, let us ponder and meditate on these verses that show us incredible power and wisdom coupled with a tender care for each one of us!
Prayer: Eternal God, heavenly Father, you have graciously accepted us as living members of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, and you have fed us with spiritual food in the Sacrament of His Body and Blood. Send us now into the world in peace and grant us strength and courage to love and serve you with gladness and singleness of heart, through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Visceral Reflections 
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