Psalm 139 has been in my heart and on the tip of my tongue for a long time. Recently, the words have flowed through my mind as a prayer needing to be spoken out loud. I am filled with gratitude as I begin to read the words of the psalm and a sense of belonging fills my soul. I am filled with a deep assurance that our stories were meant to be.
You have searched me, Lord,
and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar. Psalm 139:1-2
These beautiful words shout to all that we are known. We are known by the Lord. I am captivated by God, who loves me more than I can comprehend, simply by choosing me to join His story.
Psalm 139 continues with these words…
You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue
you, Lord, know it completely.
5 You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain. vs. 3-6
Knowing we are known and chosen by God assures us our lives are guarded on all sides with the armor of being known and loved by God. His knowledge of us is not an afterthought. He purposely chose us to be part of His story at this time and in this place. Never doubt that our stories were meant to be.
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God knew we were part of His plan even before we were born. He tells us in Psalm 139 that He had already written us into His book and His story for us was crafted before we were a blip on the radar of our parents hearts.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be. vs. 16
The power of God’s story intersecting with our own is beyond our imagination. He created us from nothing to tell a story of who we are as His children. As we prepare to create a better understanding of our place in God’s story this Advent, we walk into this time holding the truth of being known.
When we read God’s word and dive into the story, we learn of the many key men and women, who were unknown, until God chose them. Each man or woman tells their own story of redemption and freedom from the chains that bound them. This is our story as children of God too. We are broken people who need God for redemption. This is where our stories collide with God’s story bound by His gift of grace.
We understand Peter’s shortcomings because they are ours too. When he steps out of the boat to walk to Jesus on the water, we know what it feels like to be completely sure one minute and anything but certain the next. We might see the woman at the well as a woman who lived a life of poor choices. But what connects us more deeply is the immediate grace Jesus extends to her because He knows her even better than she knows herself. We know what it feels like to call out desperately for God over and over when things don’t seem to be going our way. This was the life of the Israelites as they cried out for mercy, forgetting that God is always ready to provide. We just need to believe.
Preparing for Advent means we are waiting in God’s presence to understand His truths and hold them as our own. We are taking the knowledge that we are known by God to continue to unlock the grace and love that He has for us. This process of becoming known allows our hearts to better receive the gift that comes in the form of Jesus on Christmas.
May we all hold the truth that we are known by God as we move through Advent and unwrap the story of Jesus.
Blessings along the way!
Mary
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Known and loved, comforted and cherished by our Creator. It just doesn’t get any better than that, does it, Mary.
I love that you’ve delved into this Psalm … a favorite, for sure. The Psalmist’s words interlace so beautiful with this season of Advent. I’m finding it to be a calming, reassuring observance this year.
May your weekend overflow with comfort and joy, my friend. Heaps of it.
;-}
You by nature are a calming influence for me. You strive for peace in your own life and then you share it well with your friends that stop by your blog. Thank you for always inspiring me to be a person seeking God. Love and hugs!
Mary, I love how you combined Ps 139 with Advent … Our stories were meant to be … Love it!
Thank you Dianne! Isn’t it lovely how God’s word connects us to Him? Psalm 139 is my favorite and I love how God speaks of knowing us intimately. The words are so comforting and reassuring to me. Blessings as you begin this new week.
This is a beautiful commentary on Psalm 139, Mary. We are known and loved by God. He planned everything about us and has a place for us. Advent blessings to you. Let’s unwrap more of his gifts!
Psalm 139 is my favorite and vs. 13 and 14 have been life verses for a long time. Being known by God is such a beautiful gift. Praying your weekend has been blessed.
How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! (Ps. 139:17)
Amazing. And so we sing:
“This is my story
This is my song
Praising my Savior all the day long…”
You chose one of my favorite songs right now to reference in your comment. Every time I hear the lyrics from “My Story”, I marvel at the depth of God’s love for us. Thank you for being here and blessing me your comment.
“His knowledge of us is not an afterthought. He purposely chose us to be part of His story at this time and in this place.” This is something we need to remember all the time, especially when those doubts start rolling in telling us that our story isn’t important. Thanks for this great reminded, Mary! Blessings to you!
The doubts want us to believe the worst but God’s truths only lead us to the best. We are important and our purpose was determined long before we were even born. Hugs and blessings, Gayl.
HE KNOWS MY NAME – Oh this has been percolating in my spirit for weeks. January the post will be labored!
I can’t wait to read your words when you write about being known by God. It’s a concept that honestly blows me away with how amazing it is. Praying you had a blessed weekend.
I am happy the Lord knows my name and address too!
Lovely devotion, Mary. I am pretty much in the holiday mood lately. Took time to rest and plenty time to rest my brains too!
How are you getting ready for the holidays?
Hugs and Blessings
Let’s rejoice together that we have a God who knows us intimately and cherishes every moment with us. I am soaking in time with family and being present with people fully. Praying your weekend has been blessed.
I’ve always loved that Psalm too! Beautiful post.
Thank you Tara! I pray you find comfort in knowing that God knows you and will always pursue you. Love you friend!
Wow!! This was such a wonderful and timely post!! I just had to share it – check out my blog, which I also just posted a little while ago. – http://christintheclouds.blogspot.com/2015/12/adventdec-3-god-is-looking-for-you.html
He is continually searches for us and wants to have a relationship with us! Thanks so much for sharing .
Thank you Ann! I love how God connects us through our words and shows us how what we say matters. Thank you for being here and prayers for all that we may be found by God this season.
“Your eyes saw my unformed body. . .” I just love that, Mary! Knowing that God knew me even before He created time and space, earth and water. Wow! It’s incomprehensible! No wonder I have such a yearning inside to know Him! Great series, my friend!
Being known by God and included in His story already before we were ever born is such an amazing gift of grace and love. Thank you, Mary, for these comforting thoughts. May we continue to “unlock the grace and love that He has for us.” May we know Him deeper and deeper!