Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
July 14, 2023
Psalm 139:1-14
1 LORD, you have examined me. You know me. 2 You know when I sit down and when I stand up. Even from far away, you comprehend my plans. 3 You study my traveling and resting. You are thoroughly familiar with all my ways. 4 There isn’t a word on my tongue, LORD, that you don’t already know completely. 5 You surround me—front and back. You put your hand on me. 6 That kind of knowledge is too much for me; it’s so high above me that I can’t fathom it. 7 Where could I go to get away from your spirit? Where could I go to escape your presence? 8 If I went up to heaven, you would be there. If I went down to the grave, you would be there too! 9 If I could fly on the wings of dawn, stopping to rest only on the far side of the ocean 10 even there your hand would guide me; even there your strong hand would hold me tight! 11 If I said, “The darkness will definitely hide me; the light will become night around me,” 12 even then the darkness isn’t too dark for you! Nighttime would shine bright as day, because darkness is the same as light to you! 13 You are the one who created my innermost parts; you knit me together while I was still in my mother’s womb. 14 I give thanks to you that I was marvelously set apart. Your works are wonderful—I know that very well.
Good Morning, Rejoice! Again, I say rejoice!
Today’s Psalm is one of my favorites. Earlier this week, I said that the passage for that day made me say ugh. Well, today’s passage makes me say “ahh,” and my heart flutters as I read these words.
How wonderful it is to know that God knows everything about us, our best features and our worst, and loves us anyway. There is nothing hidden from our creator. In our vulnerability, God sees beauty and potential. Wherever we go, God is with us. 6 That kind of knowledge is too much for me; it’s so high above me that I can’t fathom it.
We have this innate need to understand things. This is what allows us to learn, adapt, and overcome obstacles that block our path, but this need to understand also causes us to have doubts and frustration when we realize that God is beyond our comprehension. We stubbornly resist the idea that there are things we are not meant to know, at least not yet. Our human qualities fuel the notion that knowledge brings power: power over things, situations, and even people.
Jesus teaches us to humble ourselves before one another, give ultimate control to God, and admit our sinfulness. 8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9. We truly cannot fathom that which is beyond our comprehension. Imagine our ancestors trying to fathom the technology we rely on daily. You can’t understand anything for which you have no conceptual foundation.
We are blessed with the ability to see God’s presence in our lives and in our world! Our earthly walk is a time to learn and grow in our faith, but God will reveal the “other” things when it is time for us to know. For now, we must let go and let God be God.
Oh God, You are my God, And I will ever praise You, And step by step, You'll lead me, And I will follow You all of my days.
Comforting God, We thank you! You created us, and you know us intimately. Help us temper our desire to be in charge. In the name of Christ, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: I am beautiful because God created me.
Let God be God! Pastor Liz
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