Psalm 139

This is one of my most favorite chapters out of the Bible!

1 O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. 2You know when I sit and stand. When far away you know my every thought. 3You chart the path ahead of me, and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment, you know where I am. 4You know what I am going to say before I even say it. 5You both precede and follow me, and place your hand of blessing on my head."

6 This is too glorious, too wonderful to believe! 7 I can never be lost to your Spirit! I can never get away from my God! 8 If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the place of the dead, you are there. 9 If I ride the morning winds to the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, your strength will support me. 11 If I try to hide in the darkness, the night becomes light around me. 12 For even darkness cannot hide from God; to you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are both alike to you.

13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body, and knit them together in my mother's womb. 14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! It is amazing to think about. Your workmanship is marvelous-and how well I know it. 15 You were there while I was being formed in utter seclusion! 16 You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in your Book!

17,18 How precious it is, Lord, to realize that you are thinking about me constantly! I can't even count how many times a day your thoughts turn toward me. And when I waken in the morning, you are still thinking of me!

19 Surely you will slay the wicked, Lord! Away, bloodthirsty men! Begone! 20 They blaspheme your name and stand in arrogance against you- how silly can they be? 21 O Lord, shouldn't I hate those who hate you? Shouldn't I be grieved with them? 22 Yes, I hate them , for your enemies are my enemies too. 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test my thoughts. 24 Point out anything you find in me that makes you sad, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

I love reading this Psalm. What peace it brings to my soul. Also, what value it brings to me as well. That my Creator, the one who knew me before time and who knows every detail of my life, thinks about me constantly. With all that I have done wrong in my life, and God still loves me and cares for me. Isn't that just breath-taking? Isn't it so reassuring as well? The moments when you think, why am I even here? I must have been made just to fill a hole in the earth. Then you read Psalms 139! Then you realize that God Almighty has planned every moment of your life. He has it all written in His book. How comforting that is to know. I am thankful to know I can never get away from my Heavenly Father!!! There isn't a single place that He won't be right there with me. God Almighty is all knowing and all present. Apply that to your life. Think about it. The next time you discipline your child, He is right there with you. The next presentation you have to give at work, He is with you. When you need to ask for forgiveness or to say good-bye to a loved one, He is there with you. When you are welcoming a newborn into this world, planning your big wedding day, or stepping out in faith in what God has called you to do, He is right there with you. To be a missionary, to adopt, to change jobs, or to move cross country or whatever it maybe, He is right there with you supporting and giving you strength. If its a bad habit, drinking, cursing, drugs, whatever it is He is right there with you.
We come to God's enemies. Even though David's words are strong and a little violent, that is not necessarily the message David is sending. Its that he is so passionate about God and what He knows about God, he can't imagine someone hating God.Just think about someone in your life that you love and know so well, and that someone would say ugly things about them. You want to get up defend them and to some extent even be like well I hate them too. Understand where David is coming from here. The more we seek our Heavenly Father the more we understand this as well. But we know those people are out there. David's hatred is a desire for God's righteous justice not for vengeance. If we truly love God, then it hurts us to know that someone could hate our God the way that some people in this world do. In verse 23, David ask God to search his heart and mind and point out the selfish and wrong motives he has. We need to do the same as well. Ask God to show you the areas you need to make right. In this instance, its with enemies. Are we going after those people with vengeance or are we reaching out to them in God's love and justice? As we seek for justice against evil we need to pray for the enemies of God. That they will turn towards Him and not reject His great unconditional love for them. It doesn't matter how badly we think they are God's grace is more then enough to take away their sins and that same grace was enough to take away our sins. Once you have experienced that unconditional love from your Heavenly Father and as you get to know Him more, you will know how incredible God is and how His passion for this world will become your passion as well.