In reading the Psalm today we are reminded again of the deep and intimate relationship that we have with God. We are not just created, but we are known, inside and out.
But this Psalm goes even farther than saying that God knows us and our mind deeply. It is also saying that God is, “before and behind” us, implying that God is not just aware of what has gone by, but has knowledge of the road before us. For some, this concept isn’t of much concern, while for others it can give a feeling of being led by the nose, without choice, without agency. If God knows what is to come, what value could my choices have?
The choice makes all the difference in the world. At the fork in the road, we listen for the whispered call of God to the way that God would have us go, but ultimately the direction that we go is our choice. How well we are able to hear the divine GPS depends greatly on what has our attention in our lives.
Regardless of the way we go, whether it is of our choosing or of the Spirit’s suggestion, we do not walk that road alone. God is right there beside us, even on those days when defiantly choose to ignore the call and go our own way. God is there to support, and to guide.
Let us pray
Psalm 139:1-6
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 far away.
You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, O Lord, you know it completely.
You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high that I cannot attain it.
Shepherding God, you call to us from the way ahead, you watch for those of us who can become lost, and you seek us out when we feel hopeless. Remind us in those dark days of our souls that you seek us our because we are precious to you. Open our eyes to see that we are never so lost or far gone that we cannot find our way to your embrace. Help us to quiet our hearts and minds of those many things demanding our attention so that your whisper might resound within our souls. Speak to us O Great Shepherd, for we know your voice, and long for your love. AMEN
Blessings,
Rev. Richard