Back in the late 00’s, a worship song called “How He Loves” took the church by storm.
Okay. That sounded a little weird. Because it wasn’t like, you know, if Bruno Mars showed up at a mall or anything like that. But it was one of those songs where it seemed like everybody was talking about it all at once. It was a big deal, and I am really over explaining considering that I haven’t gotten anywhere near my main point yet.
Anyhoo.
So the other day I was reading Psalm 139, and after verse 12, I stopped for a second and looked back over what I’d read. There’s reference after reference to the fact that David can’t make a move without the Lord being aware of it. In just the first three verses, in fact, we see “you have searched me and known me,” “you understand my thoughts,” “you are aware of all my ways.” And I think that if Psalm 139 were a super-popular worship song, a really good title would be “How He Knows.”
(See what I did there?)
But then I had another thought: We don’t always want to be known like that.
If we’re totally honest, that level of knowing can make us a little itchy. And there are plenty of reasons why.
For one thing, we fear rejection from God. We expect that anyone who knows our innermost thoughts, anyone who can see the deepest parts of our heart—well, they will surely reject us, right? I mean, no one could see all that sin and ugliness and pettiness and spite and still want to be in relationship with us.
Another reason we don’t want to be known like that is that we enjoy feeling self-sufficient. We like the illusion that we’re in control and don’t necessarily have to answer to anyone (much less the Sovereign King of the universe) for our thoughts and our actions. Sometimes we much prefer the idea that we’re all in charge of our own tiny kingdoms.
And one more reason? The Lord’s love doesn’t always make sense to us. Our human capacity for love is fickle. We’re swayed by circumstances, we’re motivated by pride, and we’re prone to selfishness. We try to put God’s love in a human context and cast Him in the role of Holy Scorekeeper—but that’s not His deal at all. God loves lavishly. Completely. Selflessly. Endlessly. His love isn’t on a sliding scale based on our behavior either. Even in our darkest moments, He continues to cover us in unfailing love. If we could comprehend the depth of His love for just the tiniest amount of time, we would delight in how He knows us. We would find such comfort in His unconditional care.
You are fully, completely, and joyfully known by the God of the Universe. He delights in you. He treasures you. He knows you completely—and He absolutely adores you.
Thank Him for that today.
1. Who knows you better than anyone else? It might be a relative, or it might be a friend, but just jot his or her name below.
2. Do you have any secrets in that relationship? I’m not talking about anything dark and scandalous, necessarily, just pieces of yourself that you keep hidden?
3. How does it make you feel when you think about the fact that the Lord knows every single thing about you? Every thought? Every action? Every intention? Is that a comfort to you? Or does it make you feel vulnerable to know that nothing is hidden?
4. Just in case you struggle with remembering how much the Lord loves you, read Psalm 86:15 and then write it down here.
Today’s Prayer