Summer ought to be a season when we’re able to rest well—a time we can spend with the Lord and His goodness. But, oftentimes, we actually fall out of healthy spiritual habits and end up trying to rest from the Lord instead of resting in Him.
That’s why we’ve created the Summer Selah Series. Over 40 days, we’ll be sharing daily devotions during a season where you may not feel very devoted.
Based on excerpts from his book Selah: Devotions From The Psalms For Those Who Struggle With Devotion, Ross Lester, our Pastor of Preaching and West Congregation Pastor, will provide readings from select Psalms, a brief devotional reflection, and some prayer points for each of the 40 days.
Take some time to read Psalm 139. Then, come back and read the following verses again.
“O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
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.” (Psalm 139:1-6 ESV)
Psalm 139 is one of the finest and most profound pieces of writing in all of Scripture. It is David at his poetic best, and it has been a tonic to my soul for many years.
Spurgeon spoke of it this way,
“Like a Pharos, this holy song casts a clear light even to the uttermost parts of the sea, and warns us against that practical atheism which ignores the presence of God, and so makes shipwreck of the soul.”
I am sometimes guilty of a “practical atheism” of sorts as I forget about the sovereignty of God over all things, including the details of my life. You wouldn’t think that one would be able to easily forget such a thing, but I still do sometimes. Perhaps I do it because, like David says, the knowledge of a God who knows everything about me and yet still loves me is something that is too incredible for me to understand. I can’t get my head around it, and so I tend to live with a functional disbelief about what it says.
I mean, it can’t be both can it? He can’t both fully know everything about me and love me, can He? I think we are all probably a little bit terrified at the thought of being fully known. We have secret thoughts, motives, and actions that we wouldn’t want people to know about.
David insists that God knows us way better than we ever thought. In fact, He handcrafted us in our mother’s womb and has seen every detail of our lives ever since. No thought or action in our lives is kept secret from Him and no circumstance in our lives is surprising to Him. According to David, that is really good news.
“Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,’
even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.” (Psalm 139:7-12 ESV)
This close attention from our Creator means that we are never alone, regardless of how difficult our circumstances seem. We are never able to hide from God, even when we feel that we have failed Him terribly. He is always close and so we shouldn’t hide. We shouldn’t live like practical atheists by despairing in our circumstances.
He is closer than you ever thought. He is more involved than you ever dreamed.
Trust Him with all you have today.
Father God, You know me and You love me. Such knowledge is actually too much for me to get my head around. Give me a heart of faith to believe it and enjoy it. Thank You for Your amazing grace.
Ross Lester, Selah: Devotions From The Psalms For Those Who Struggle With Devotion (Magnolia, Texas: Lucid Books, 2017)
