DATE POSTED Tuesday, 2023-02-21
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Psalm 139:1-6
TRANSLATION: Easy-To-Read Version (ERV)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹ Lord, you have tested me, so you know all about me.
² You know when I sit down and when I get up. You know my thoughts from far away.
³ You know where I go and where I lie down. You know everything I do.
⁴ Lord, you know what I want to say, even before the words leave my mouth.
⁵ You are all around me—in front of me and behind me. I feel your hand on my shoulder.
⁶ I am amazed at what you know; it is too much for me to understand.

OBSERVATION: When we know that someone knows us intimately, we may tend to shy away from them, or perhaps be on our best behavior when around them. But knowing that God’s has full knowledge of us should give us full assurance that nothing will happen to us without first being filtered through His lens and meeting with His approval. I believe the Psalmist was very comforted in this, for he even felt assured that God was with him in every circumstance of life.

APPLICATION: For those of you who are married, I believe you will agree with me that going through life with someone by our side is so comforting and reassuring. In fact, it brings peace to us when the challenges of life are raging all around us. We tend to be braver in frightening circumstance, because we have someone right beside us to cheer us on, lighten the burden, and face almost any situation knowing that it’s not just one who will fight the battle, but rather a team of two. I could only imagine that David may have felt something like this as he sat, looked upon the stars and reflected on all that Almighty God had done for him, and is continuing to do. You see, David had been blessed with some pretty intimate times with God. There were no distractions like we know it today. No sirens blazing, no phones ringing, no internet that would call for David’s undivided attention to news, gossip, emails, social media or the like. Yes, Satan was already active in the world, and although this would have given rise to David’s close attention and rapid defense, I believe that David was secure in his relationship with One much greater than Satan, for he was loved by God, protected by Him, encouraged by Him, and lifted up on those days that David felt the world was against him. You see, I don’t believe that David was anything like Sanford (of the Sanford and Son television show), so he didn’t sit around waiting for the ‘big one’, knowing that he would have no choice but to call on God at that time. No, I believe that throughout the Bible, and especially in the Psalms, it is evident that David had an active, daily, productive life where God was integral in every part of it. In our lives, we each could probably recall relationships, or personal experiences, where a dire emergency brought one to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, or brought us humbly before the throne, where we were forced to bend the knee and plead forgiveness for the laxity we allowed in our relationship with our Master. We needed God to intervene on our behalf at that point, so we had little choice but to clean up our act and beg for God’s all-powerful hand to heal, restore life, or give hope where non existed. Friends, when we enjoy a daily life with the Master like David enjoyed, then perhaps we might start reflecting on the blessed hope that we have, the all-powerful God that we could meet with as often as we desire or see the need to. That type of relationship doesn’t come from attending corporate worship on special occassions, or even every weekend. That type of relationships comes from intimacy with our loving God on a regular basis. It may be driving down the street and seeing His handiwork out in the pastures, or the spectacular sunrise, or the peaceful sunset, or sitting with an elderly saint and hearing them brag on how Jesus met their needs when there was no food in the house, or when the doctor would not return to their area for another month. David replayed for us how amazing it was to stop and think of the amazing knowledge of God, in fact, it was greater than anything he could humanly imagine. Praise God that He still cares for us, just as He did for David. Because of His knowledge, we needn’t worry about remembering too tell Him about our rough times, for He already knows. Let us then spend time sharing our love and appreciation for His Son, Jesus, and thanking God for saving our life in the challenges of that day. He might just do like He did for Solomon – because we didn’t waste a lot of time whining and complaining, perhaps He will go ahead and bless us with even more than we need the following day! When this kind of intimacy, relationship and appreciation for our God wells up inside of us, others will be amazed and want to also know Him!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: From a heart filled with love, appreciation and praise, we will sing praises to our King from the overflow! It’s hard to do this when we’ve filled our hearts with the evil ways of Satan all day and all week.

PRAYER: Thank You Father for praise and worship leaders like David. He experienced an intimate relationship with You, and He was in close communication with You throughout his day. Praise God, this was always reflected in his songs to You, and in the Psalms he wrote. I am forced to ponder what it is that reflects our praise to You. Do we need the beat from the drums, the strumming of th guitars or the tickling of the ivory keys on the piano? Will that cause us to worship You? Please forgive us Lord for thinking that external music or entertainment will stir our hearts. Yes, we will sing along, but is there true and intimate personal worship in anything we sing? Lord teach us to reflect on Your goodness, Your mercy and Your grace each and every day, for I am convinced that You are with us 24/7/365. Please open our eyes, our hearts and our minds to acknowledge You in all the ways You bless us. May the words of our hearts be expressed through song, worship and intimate conversation (prayer) with You. And may Your children be encouraged to see You in all that we do or say. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog might indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!