Wow....today really hit me with how often I try to hide or tuck away or cover areas in my life that I am really not interested in God entering into. Areas I often avoid dealing with because I know it will require some effort to change. Either that, or I am afraid that if He sees the yucky-ness in that area of my life, He might be disappointed in me and I might lose His love. Anybody had those same thoughts? And even though you KNOW the Word and KNOW that God is going to help you change or is going to love you regardless, your feelings haven't quite caught up with what you know in your head....anybody?
How beautiful for God to have allowed David to pen the 139th Psalm. I read it in its entirety today and I was in awe. You know what stuck out to me for the first time in reading this a million times?
Verse 2 "You perceive my thoughts from afar".....He has full disclosure of every single thought!
Verse 3 "You discern my going out and my lying down".....He has full disclosure of the motives and choices I make
"You are familiar with all my ways".....He is intimately aware of all my actions and the reason for them
"Before a word is on my tongue You know it completely....your words are KNOWN in their completeness by Him.
Can you wrap your mind around this?
Then, David recants even more about God's ever-present-ness, and guidance in our lives. He even goes as far as saying that God made him, and all of God's works He created are wonderful, therefore, he must too be wonderfully made. And then,
Verse 17 "How precious are Your thoughts concerning me...outnumbering the grains of sand!" What wondrous love is this! WOW!
Now, if the God who created and made us perceives, discerns, is familiar, and knows completely all of who we are, in other words, if God created us and thus knows exactly what our tendencies and bents will be, thus knowing all of the yuck we have and will have, and yet loves us so desperately as to think of us all the time (there's a lot of sand, people!!!), then who better to trust all of who we are to His loving hands?
And what exhale! What freedom! What a level of trust to know that I am fully known and still fully loved, and I can freely and with all of the honesty and vulnerability I have in me say:
"Then, Lord, search me and know my heart (because You already do anyway....I am now availing it completely to you) and my worrisome ways (since You already know those too and love me still) and see deep into my soul if there is anything in me that offends You because it has become idolatrous, more important than You. And lead me on the never-ending path to the abundant life You have for me." (verse 23 & 24 paraphrased)
There is no safer One in whom to completely lay bare our lives than Jesus.
May we choose today to fully disclose ourselves to our Maker, Redeemer, and Friend.
Jena,
How perfectly said and exactly what I needed to hear this morning. I am amazed each time I think of what an amazing God we have. Thanks for the reminder.
Ginger
Jena,
Our pastor was preaching just last night on the Promises of God. One that he touched on was Isaiah 49:16. "Behold I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands: thy walls are continually before me." God loves us so much that he has our names engraved in the palms of his hands, he thinks about us that much! Incredible! We serve an awesome God! What amazing love....
Michelle