God, You See. You Know.

A view from a plane, somewhere over the U.S.

O, LORD, you have searched me and known me!
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.
You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.
Psalm 139:1-6 (ESV)

When we fly, Mr. Pettit always lets me have the window seat.

In the daytime, I stare at the shadows of clouds skimming across the landscape below us. I admire the symmetry of a farmer’s fields and a city’s highways and I search for landmarks, natural and man-made. It wasn’t until I saw the Grand Canyon from the air that I could begin to grasp how truly grand it is.

At night, the world beneath us becomes a mystery. One light blends into another, giving no hint as to what is illuminated. I cannot guess where people are, much less what they’re doing.

I see much but know very little.

But nothing is hidden from God.

Psalm 139, excerpted above, was written by David, a shepherd boy who grew up to be king of Israel. While I don’t know when or where he wrote these verses, I wonder if these thoughts first came to him not in a palace, but out in a field with his sheep: standing watch, protecting his flock, and gazing at the stars on a moonless night.

Did David know, even as a youth, that God knew him from the inside out? Or does Psalm 139 reflect the wisdom gained from experience? Perhaps only as an older man did he realize that “You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it.”

God sees me. He sees you. He sees everyone, everywhere, all the time. And He knows what’s going on behind the closed doors of our houses. And the closed doors of our hearts.

Such knowledge is too wonderful. Too unattainable. Indeed, I couldn’t process it even if I could attain it; I couldn’t bear the burden of omniscience.

I find the following verses deeply comforting.

Where shall I go from your Spirit?
    Or where shall I flee from your presence?
 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
    If I make my bed in Sheol, 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.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,”
even the darkness is not night to you;
the night is as bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.
Psalm 139:7-12 (ESV)

Almighty God, thank You for Your unsurpassed knowledge of Your creation. You know me, better than I know myself, yet You still love me. I am in awe of Your Wisdom, most merciful Father; You deserve all worship and honor and praise. In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.