You have searched me, Lord, 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. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
Psalm 139:1-6
The joy of being fully known – and fully loved.
Often the love around us is full of hooks. I’ll love you if … I’ll love you when… As we journey through life with our fellow humans, experience can teach us to guard ourselves because when someone gets close enough to really know us there is the possibility of rejection. I think its a safe bet to say every one of us has experienced the heartache of being vulnerable, revealing the deeper parts of our hearts and minds to someone, and then feeling their response of condemnation and shame or even just dismissiveness and patronization.
It can be hard to really open up to someone and to be fully known; therefore Psalm 139 can be hard for us to fathom and yet we should receive it as God’s truth.
The Lord searches our inner being. He knows everything about us. Every move we make, every thought we think, every joy, every heartache, our hopes, our discouragements and so much more. And He declares we are fearfully and wonderfully made.
I have two granddaughters. They have no idea how much joy they bring me. I watch their every move and delight in every part of their development – from the early stages of newborn to the walking and running stages of the toddlerhood. I know as they continue to develop, I will rejoice in each season. I am a student of them. I watch and learn what brings them joy, what will make them laugh, what they like to do and how I can best show my love to them.
My heart bursts with joy as they say my name. The other day my oldest granddaughter spontaneously wrapped her arms around me and said, “I love you so much, Nana!” To receive love back from her was the greatest gift.
I believe one of the reasons we experience the relationships of family, and even friends, on earth is so we can better understand how God feels about us. He knows us intimately, watches over us and rejoices in our seasons of growth. And I also believe when we utter the words, “I love you so much, Papa!” it overwhelms Him with joy!
There are times in life when we feel unseen, unloved, unknown. Living in this broken world can do that to us. Today, let us hold onto this truth that God sees us, knows us, watches over us and delights in us. And perhaps we can take the time to utter the words He loves to hear, “I love you, Papa!”
May we continue to live…
Rooted in Him,
