Psalm 139—a loose paraphrase.
O LORD, you have searched me, and you know me.
How much do you know me Lord?
You know when I sit down and when I get up. You know when I go out, when I come back in, and everything I did in between. You know what I’m thinking about, and why I think it. You alone understand my irrational and kooky thoughts.
You know my secret dreams and aspirations, my unfulfilled longings, my quiet hopes that I dare not admit. You know my words before I speak. You know me better than I know myself.
You are familiar with all my ways. Why I do what I do, … and why I don’t do what I know I should. You know the idols in my heart … and what it will take to pry them loose.
Truly, this knowledge blows my mind; I can’t get my arms around it.
How do you know so much about me?
Because, you investigate, you examine me, you probe the caverns of my soul. You watch me constantly and keep me close. No place too high or pit too deep, no hidden plot on a distant shore. No dark of night, no fog of day, your right hand holds me either way.
Each morning finds me with you again—you stayed up while I slept.
Of course you know me. You created me in my mother’s womb. You pooled the genes, and selected one by one. You knit me stich by stich, with artistic joy and skill. You saw what I could be…and would be. I am your workmanship. You crafted me to fulfill the role of your choosing. As the Potter you formed me into one-of-a-kind.
You saw me in the womb, and there ordained my days. Then you wrote them in Your book.
I can’t fathom why you think of me continually. Your thoughts outnumber the sand. Why Lord? What am I that you are mindful of me? Precious. Valuable. Costly. Rare.
You made me and You know me.
What am I to do with this knowledge?
• Trust. Your plan exceeds my own.
• Surrender. You test me by fire and purge the dross.
• Step out. You lead me in the everlasting way.
Wonderful!
I stand in awe of Him, and his love for us.
We have an awesome God!
For the curious who are wondering, this sonogram is my grand baby who will be born in May. He or she, we don’t know yet – a surprise awaits all of us. We love this baby so much already, and can hardly fathom how much God must love us.
Congratulations! What a blessing!!
“You alone understand my irrational and kooky thoughts.”
I love how you broke it down into our lingo. I read it multiple times.
This psalm is irreplaceable for everyone, but especially those of us who were adopted at birth and our existence in our birthmoms womb was not a happy one, due to the circumstances of her pregnancy. Imagine for a moment— finding out that your conception was not only unwanted, but considered a royal pain in the rear, and a 9 month nightmare to the birthmom who was carrying you. Psalm 139 then EXPLODES with comfort and purpose. I apologize for blabbing on about this when only those in the adoption triad can relate, but as an adoptive mom and an adoptee myself, it is an extraordinarily personal psalm, and I love how you phrased it to make it even more personal.
It does blow me away when I think about how valuable I must be to God. He doesn’t need me; he just loves me. My mind won’t reach all the way around that. Such big love.
Beautiful, beautiful.
Trust. Surrender. Step out. Working on those three day by day.
When I am all alone dealing with pain, I seek to praise him even then because he sees and the world is about him anyway. It is not about putting on a show only when others see. In Job, we are told that he waters the land where no one lives. Why? Because the world is for him. He sees when no one is there. He has seen every tear and he has cared.
How He loves us!
Believe, love and obey our sweet Lord.