Tag Archives: Psalm 139

O Lord, you have searched me and you know me

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SOMEONE WHO KNOWS US

Right after World War II, a U.S. Army officer and his wife were stationed in Japan. That country had been devastated by the war. The post-war economy was in shambles. Unemployment approached 60%. People came to the Army wife’s door daily looking for work. One man said that he could do wonders for her garden if she would only give him a chance. So, for the first time in her life, this young Army wife hired a gardener. He spoke no English, but the wife, through sign language and pencil and paper gave him instructions about where to plant, prune, and pamper her garden. He listened politely and followed her instructions exactly. The garden emerged as the finest in the neighborhood.

When she finally realized that her new gardener knew far more about the matter than she, the wife stopped giving him directions and let him freely care for the garden. It was magnificent. Then one day the gardener came with an interpreter who expressed the appreciation but the regrets of the gardener. “He will no longer be able to care for your garden. He must leave.”

The wife expressed her regrets and thanked him through the interpreter for making hers such a fine garden. Out of politeness, she asked the interpreter, “Where is he going?”

The interpreter replied that the gardener was returning to his old job as the Professor of Horticulture at the University of Tokyo.

Can you imagine the look that must have been on that Army wife’s face when she discovered, that her gardener was the university professor of horticulture? No wonder he knew so much about gardening! Imagine having someone at your disposal with that amount of knowledge. What a beautiful lawn I could have!

And yet, we have something far greater that we often take for granted. We have someone who has that kind of intimate knowledge about everything in our lives — He knows our purpose, He knows what brings us joy, He knows what we need to do to be fulfilled in life. And He’s close enough to us that He’s willing to listen to us and communicate to us. Imagine taking advantage of having someone with that amount of knowledge. What a beautiful life I could have!

“O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways…Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.” (Psalm 139:1-3,6)

Have a great day!

Alan Smith

Psalm 139

A couple of months ago, I walked into my daughter’s bedroom and I noticed that she had placed towels on top of all her American Girl baby dolls. So I asked her, “Anne Marie, why do all your dolls have towels over their heads?” She said, “Because of their eyes…they’re all watching me.” Well, I had to laugh because I remember being afraid of a snowman that used to sit in my sister’s room when I was a little boy, and it too had eyes that “watched me.”

But did you know that Psalm 139 teaches us that we cannot escape the “all-seeing” eyes of God? He sees everything. He is always present. And that truth leads me to this question. Do God’s “all-seeing eyes” give you comfort or fear?

For the child of God who is seeking to become more and more like Jesus, the presence and oversight of God in one’s daily walk should be comforting and reassuring; like a child learning to ride a bike as that child’s father runs along side for protection and safety.

But for the one who is carelessly living his life, unconcerned about the will of God, the presence and “all-seeing eyes” of God should be a terrifying proposition.

So which is it for you? Does the fact that God sees everything give you comfort and reassurance, or does this fact make you want to reach for a towel?

–Steve Higginbotham