O Lord, you have searched me, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
—Psalm 139:1-3
O Lord, you have searched me, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.Psalm 139 is about the intimate knowledge God has of us. You know me, Lord. You know where to find me. You know my habits. You know the things that I’m proud of and not so proud of. You know how I spend my time, talent and treasures. You know what I hate. You know when I need a break.
The person who wrote this psalm summed up the awareness of God’s intimate knowledge of us like this: “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me” (verse 6). It can be an uncomfortable thought that God is always looking over our shoulders.
God’s intimate knowledge of us reminds me of spring cleaning the van. Every spring, I take out all the seats and floor mats, so I can clean around the metal latches on the floor. I’ve noticed over the years that I can tell which seat my kids sat in most of the time by what I had to clean up and where it was found.
One of my kids liked gum but hid the used gum in the cup holder next to the seat. Another always brought a LEGO creation with them on trips. There were many LEGO pieces where they sat in the van. One was a big fan of sprinkled donuts. Underneath the seat were enough sprinkles to cover a dozen donuts. Our kids left behind evidence of their presence in our van. Only their mom or dad, who knows them well, could identify which child sat in which seat.
Just as I know my kids’ habits since time they were born, God knows us. It’s nice to be known, such as when a child knows that there is a place for them in the house with their family. It’s nice to be known by the people in a store, shop or restaurant because we frequent it so much. It’s nice to be known by a God who manages the universe yet takes time to hear our prayers. That level of love and care is sometimes … too wonderful … for us. But isn’t it nice?
Pastor Tom Volker has served at Founders Ridge as campus pastor since 2022. He absolutely loves the team and residents that he gets to be around by the grace of God. Tom served for 23 years as a parish pastor in different capacities at five different congregations in three different states. He and his amazing wife Verna have four children – three boys and a girl – and reside in South Minneapolis. When not at Founders Ridge, Tom is transporting children, reading, enjoying a movie at the theater, cooking or just trying to be grateful for the adventure that this God has placed him on. (Did that sound too preachy? Sorry, old habit.)
The Light for the Way series provides staff with an examination of a biblical reading to deepen our focus on scripture. Thank you for engaging with this series as we seek wisdom through prayer and reflection as a Christian Ministry.
