Known

Known

Lord, you have examined me. You know me. You know when I sit down and when I stand up. Even from far away, you comprehend my plans. You study my traveling and resting. You are thoroughly familiar with all my ways. There isn’t a word on my tongue, Lord, that you don’t already know completely. You surround me—front and back. You put your hand on me. That kind of knowledge is too much for me; it’s so high above me that I can’t reach it.

Psalm 139:1-6

Wherever you are at this moment, He sees you. And not in a creepy awkward way. He sees you. He sees more than just your location – this isn’t a holy GPS set up. He sees more than your schedule and your routine – you don’t need someone watching over your shoulder to see if you’re up to snuff.

He sees the thoughts behind each breath. He sees what you’re about to walk through. He sees the mud still stuck to your feet from what you came through. We cannot comprehend the depth of His knowledge of us.

But do you feel known?

1 Corinthians 8:3 says, ‘But if someone loves God, then they are known by God,’ and in Jeremiah we read, ‘Before I created you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I set you apart….’

Our feelings don’t often cooperate, and we can hazardously put too much power in them for decision making. We have to find that firm foundation and root ourselves in it – over and over again. Christine Caine said, “When there is a fight between your heart and your head, experience has taught me that the best thing you can do is pick up your Bible and remind yourself of what God says.” The Bible tells us that we were known before we were aware, from our conception. And when we come to love God in return, we are fully known – it becomes an intimate relationship of which we are finally aware.

Feel it or not, you are set apart.

Feel it or not, you are known by the intimate, creative, omniscient, fierce one and only God.

“Every song you love, every memory you cherish, every moment that has moved you to holy tears has been given to you from the One who has been pursuing you from your first breath in order to win your heart.” – John Eldredge

And He invites you to know Him in return. He implores you, in fact, to seek Him and know Him. He is like the man who achingly, passionately and patiently pursues the woman, all the while desperate to be seen and known by her. Feel it or not, He hopes for you.

“To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything. It liberates us from pretense, humbles us out of our self-righteousness, and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us.” - Tim Keller

Out of all your relationships – family, friends, coworkers – how many know you? Know you? How many love you? Do you ever find yourself a little let down or disappointed by an interaction with one of them? We subconsciously seek affirmation, seek to be seen – as only God can – and we walk around with a compromising hole inside of us. We build up walls, bitterness, hurt, offense, etc. and carry it around. But being known and loved by God – it is freedom.

“God’s relationship with us and with our world is just that: a relationship. As with every relationship, there’s a certain amount of unpredictability, and the ever-present likelihood that you’ll get hurt.” – John Eldredge

That’s not to say everything He does will make sense to you, no matter how earnestly you seek to know Him. In fact, there will be plenty of ways His choices will hurt or disappoint you, maybe even discourage you. Because we cannot comprehend His knowledge and wisdom; our big picture is never big enough. So He can seem unpredictable, irrational and unsafe.

As C.S. Lewis wrote for our beloved Aslan, “Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good.”

You surround me—front and back. You put your hand on me.

Feel it or not, you are known.

You are seen and loved by God and He brings all the weight of who He is to surround you. Because He is for you and not against you. He hems you in behind and in front.

Worship:

'Worship: ‘You Know Me,’ by Stephanie Gretzinger

‘The One You Love,’ by Chandler Moore

Prayer:

Father God, rain down so heavily upon my heart that I know Your presence, Your voice, more than any other. Holy Spirit help my unbelief, that I would trust and believe that He is good. (Breathe In) Lord, You are before and behind me, (Breathe Out) And I am loved by You.