Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 139:1-6
Ps 139:1-6
1 O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. 2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. 3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. 4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. 5 You hem me in--behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
Rom 8:26-27
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.
We live in a world that is filled with things that are both good and bad, depending on how they are used. We need fire but it destroys. Water is essential but can cause death. Knowledge and technology save lives but when misused they cause death and destruction. Our use and our perception determine whether we see something as good or as bad, as a help or a threat.
Many see the omnipresence of God as a threat and as something that hampers their pursuit of fun and happiness. They see God as one constantly watching over us to find us doing wrong so he can punish us. Like a child who knows their parent is watching while they are seeking to do something wrong, they feel guilty.
When this is the case, the problem is not with God. When we seek to do right and please God, it is a comfort to know that he is always near and that he is watching over us. But God is not limited by our actions. He knows our thoughts and the motives behind our actions. This too can give us peace when we are seeking to do his will and to be like him. He knows what we are saying before we say it.
When we come before the throne of God in heaven, we often don’t know how to express what is on our hearts. It is then that the Spirit intercedes for us and puts in words the pain, the suffering, the joy or the doubt and bewilderment we are feeling but just don’t know how to verbalize. In this context, God works all things together for our good when we love him and seek to do his will.
O Lord, thank you for your love and your care for me. I stumble through life and at times seem to wander without direction. It is not because you haven’t given me direction and purpose to live but because I look away from you and seek to find peace and happiness without you and in the things of this life. Help me keep my eyes focused on you and on the things above where Christ is seated at your right hand on my behalf. Use me to lead others to you. I pray in Jesus name.
Robert
