Known By God

“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, NIV

There are few places we can go these days in a big city, travel by train, bus or plane, or be almost anywhere where people gather, without some sort of surveillance camera catching our every movement. Even in the small market town where we live there are hidden closed circuit TV cameras, recording what the local people are doing – all in the name of security.

In today’s environment we almost take such observation cameras for granted as being necessary for our safety. We are relieved when they are used to record some criminal activity and apprehend the culprit. No-one is really interested in what the majority of us are doing. But when something bad does happen the police are very interested to see if surveillance cameras have recorded the incident.

On a much wider front, whenever there’s an international sporting festival such as the Olympic Games, or a major incident occurs anywhere in the world – everything can be instantly screened via TV into the living rooms of everyone on the planet!
If, with man’s very limited knowledge and ability, these amazing things are possible, it should be no surprise that the all-knowing God is also able to watch over every detail of our lives and know everything that has ever happened to us from conception to the present day! He doesn’t need security cameras to keep an eye on us!

This is something that David, the psalmist, knew instinctively and in Psalm 139 he recognises that if there is nowhere he can go to escape from the presence of God (verses 7-12), then there is absolutely nothing that God doesn’t know about everything we have done – the good and the not-so-good – and will do. And there is absolutely no circumstance or place that any of us can be in where we cannot cry out to God for His help and guidance.

He postulates being able to fly on the wings of the dawn and settle on the far side of the sea and declares “even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast” (verse 10). He didn’t think it would ever be possible to walk on the moon, but when James Irwin, the Apollo 15 astronaut, turned to prayer when he had a problem on the surface of the moon, he had an extraordinary encounter with the living God who heard and answered his prayer. He came back to Earth a changed man and devoted the rest of his days to sharing the truth that Jesus really is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). Wherever you are in God’s great universe, God is there with you.

I discovered in my business years that God is the best businessman I have ever known! The supernatural ‘coincidences’ and the ideas that could only have come from God were always the most successful and profitable developments. I learnt to trust the ideas that bore the hallmark of God’s Holy Spirit and was never disappointed.

So, never think that your situation or problem is beyond the knowledge and wisdom of God or beyond Him being able to provide a solution. He can and will hold you fast and show you the way to go.

Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for these wonderful words from Scripture. I know that I can trust You to lead and direct my steps wherever I am. I pray that you will help me to overcome the problems I have to face as I listen to Your voice and watch for Your leading day by day. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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