Letter From the Pastor
Psalm 139: 1-11, 22-23
Domine, probasti
1 Lord, you have searched me out and known me; *
you know my sitting down and my rising up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
2 You trace my journeys and my resting-places *
and are acquainted with all my ways.
3 Indeed, there is not a word on my lips, *
but you, O Lord, know it altogether.
4 You press upon me behind and before *
and lay your hand upon me.
5 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; *
it is so high that I cannot attain to it.
6 Where can I go then from your Spirit? *
where can I flee from your presence?
Believe You are Loved
Summary: Psalm 139 is a great love poem about God’s love for you.
The Psalm for this coming Sunday is Psalm 139. This Psalm reminds us powerfully of God’s love for you. Believing God loves you is a powerful grounding knowledge. Knowing you are loved gives you good mental health, reduces stress, fights depression, and improves self-worth. It also strengthens relationships and your treatment of others. If you are loved, then you can love others. Understanding that you are loved and lovable can help you to work towards God’s kingdom because God is love and God’s kingdom is based on love. In this spirit, let us examine some of Psalm 139’s strongest statements.
The Psalm begins “you search me, and you know me.” Verse 1 tells us that God understands us individually. The word “know” is an intimate word harkening to how spouses or best friends know one another. God knows your quirks, wounds, and deepest character. God knows you uniquely and differently than the other eight billion people on the Earth. Not only does God have the ability to know each person but God has the desire to know you as an individual.
In verse 2 God knows “my journeys and my resting-places.” Journeys gives the impression that God knows where your heart has its home. This means God knows your history, your likes, your dislikes. God knows where you come from and from where your motivations stem.
In verse 4 the poet writes, “You press upon me behind and before.” The Psalmist loved referring to God as the Good Shepherd, and he does this here by describing how a shepherd would secure his sheep into an enclosed fence for the night. In the Hebrew, these words give the impression of someone who protects a great asset like a person’s life’s saving.
“Where can I go from your Spirit?” This phrase in verse 7 reminds us that God is ever-present with us. You cannot do anything to make God forsake you. Even if you cut of your side of the relationship, God will not stop loving you. And when you call God is always there. God will always find you. Even when you are going through your darkest days God is with you.
I recommend that you meditate on this verse often. Knowing you are loved is good for your health, your relationships, your work, and the entire world. As we read this Psalm this Sunday, I hope that God’s love for you penetrates your heart in a deeper way.
May you know that God loves you,
Pastor Anny+
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