When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers –
the moon and the stars you set in place –
what are mere mortals that you should think about them,
human beings that you should care for them? – Psalm 8:3-4

I can relate to these words of the psalmist. Sometimes I am overwhelmed with the fact that the God of Creation loves me and cares about me – individually! The book of Psalms does not just tell us about God, it describes man’s relationship with God. As we read through it, we do not simply increase what WE KNOW ABOUT GOD. We come face to face with the fact that WE ARE KNOWN BY GOD.

The Lord will work out his plans for my life – for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever.
Don’t abandon me, for you made me. – Psalm 138:8

My favorite verse in scripture is Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” This verse in Psalm 138 is another great reminder that the God who created me knows everything there is to know about me and it is this God who holds my life in His hands.

O Lord, you have examined my heart and know EVERYTHING about me.
You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
You see me when I travel and when I rest at home.
You know EVERYTHING I do.
You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord.
You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!

I can never escape your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
If I go up to the heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there.
If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.
I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night –
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. – Psalm 139:1-12

There is no pretending when it comes to our relationship with God. He knows our heart – He knows what we are feeling and where we are struggling. There is no need to pretend. This God who created us understands us. He created us to need His hand to guide us and His strength to support us. He will not leave us alone. When we look back, He is there. When we look forward, He is there.

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
Thank you for making me so complex! Your workmanship is marvelous – how well I know it.
You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
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.

How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.
They cannot be numbered!
I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up, you are still with me! – Psalm 139:13-18

Already this year, I have had to face some fear of the uncertainty of life. A few weeks ago, a mother I know from Bloomington found out that her youngest son has leukemia. Instantly their life changed. Last weekend, Dave Cronebaugh fell on the ice and now he is fighting for his life. I am reminded that there is no certainty of what today holds, what tomorrow will bring. That fact frightens me. Today’s Scripture reminds me that God knows – that He will work out His plans for my life and never abandon me. I can rest in the knowledge that God loves me and thinks about me.

Lord, you know what this life holds for me. I ask You to guide me and strengthen me according to Your plan for my life. Go before me and follow me. Place Your hand of blessing on my head. Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out everything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life (139:23-24). I commit another day to You, Lord, trusting You with all the details. I choose to spend my time in Your ever faithful presence. Fill me with Your Spirit, O Lord, and make today exactly what You want it to be. Amen.