Daily Bible Readings
Today’s Devotion by Telva Elwell (SC) on …
Psalms 139: 5,6, 13-24
“You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.” (vs 5-6)
“I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.” (vs. 14)
Yes, we are hemmed in by God, just as David has said in this psalm. David agrees with us. He gets us. He says that God has hemmed him in also. He can relate. He tells God, “You hem me in, behind and before…” There is no escape. David must feel our fear, our shame, our desperation. Or does he? We feel like trapped animals behind a wall that cannot be penetrated.
But something does not make sense. Why does David go on to declare that this knowledge is too wonderful for him? What is so wonderful about being trapped behind a wall where our every move, thought, and word is heard and seen by God? That is what we have been trying to escape. Yet David said it. We are hemmed in by God, and it is wonderful! He must be kidding? Somehow these theological terms of omnipresence and omniscient have become less threatening to David? But why?
I dare say, that David now seems to have an intimate and personal relationship with God. Everything seems to have changed. Because of four letters.
Tsur/Tsar. A little word that changed everything for David, for us. A word so profound to David that he said he was without words to even express it! That little word, tsur or tsar, in Hebrew, is our English word hem or hedge. That word that we so objected to a few minutes ago now may hold the key to opening the door to something wonderful!
So, what does this little word hemmed, or tsur/tsar mean? Tsar means to hem, where God creates a refuge or unshakeable shelter to protect a valued treasure. That treasure is us! The purpose was to keep harm away. But it does not end there because “You lay your hand upon me.” (vs 5). Not only does God build a protective shelter for us, but He also lays his hand upon us, to demonstrate his protection, grace, and love for us. Yes, God is with us always, He sees the messiness of our sins, but He still creates an unshakable protective shelter for us because He loves us. We finally realize that being hemmed in by Him does not mean we are trapped, but instead we are protected by Him, and His loving hand is upon us. We are hemmed in by God, and it is wonderful! No longer must we run and hide from Him, because our ultimate need of His presence in our life is fulfilled. We know that God sees us as we are, with all our sins, misspoken words, and actions and impure thoughts laid out in the open. The games have ended. No longer do we need to run and hide, hoping that You will not find us. No longer are our days filled with pain, embarrassment and despair. One little word changed everything.
But, why? Why does God love us so deeply. Why does He desire to have a personal relationship with us?
As if anticipating our question, David writes the most beautiful psalm recounting our creation. “For You formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb; my frame was not hidden from you…intricately woven in the depths of the earth; your eyes saw my unformed substance; How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!” (vs 13-18) The simple answer to our question is that God is our Father, our Creator. We belong to Him.
“I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” (vs 14)
Since we are fearfully and wondrously made by God, our worth is not determined by our good deeds or sinfulness, but because we are God’s handiwork and a product of his loving creation.
No longer running and hiding, or feeling trapped, we now know we are protected and loved. Deeply loved by You because You have created us, every nook and cranny of our being. You know every inch of us, every thought and action even before those thoughts and actions are spoken or seen by You. And because You are a good, good Father, You want to protect us. We are at peace. We are safe. We are at home.
Oh, the bliss of sweet surrender. Now, we can freely and earnestly pray, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me and lead me in the way everlasting!” Psalms 139:23-24
Reflection Questions
- How does knowing you are fearfully and wonderfully made impact your value and your sense of worthiness?
- How does understanding God’s intimate knowledge of you influence what you do?
- David invites God to search and test Him. Would you feel comfortable having God test and search you? Why?
- Why do you believe David was comfortable with God knowing him completely? Do you feel comfortable with this as well?
Prayer
Dear Omniscient and Omnipresent Creator and Father – You know everything there is to know about me – and You still love me! Help me learn more and more about You. Thank You for Your Word where You reveal Yourself. Thank You, also, for loving me enough to hem/hedge me in. Help me see more clearly Your beautiful borders of protection and safety, that I may willingly and joyfully stay within them. Thank You for Your hand upon me. Guide me, Lord, ONLY where You want me to go, speaking what You want me to speak, being Your child You made me to be. Search me, Lord, and show me how to live today better than yesterday, until Your Son returns. In his name I pray, amen.
