Daily devotional · July 17
Fully Known
“O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit and when I rise; You understand my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down; You are aware of all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, You know all about it, O LORD. You hem me in behind and before; You have laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.”
The psalmist marvels that God knows when he sits and when he rises, understands his thoughts from far away, and is familiar with every one of his ways. For some, that could sound unsettling, like being watched. In the psalm it is closer to being cherished. Nothing about him is a surprise to God, and yet he is not rejected. Many of us spend energy managing how others see us, afraid that if we are fully known, we will be left. This psalm says the one who knows everything has hemmed us in behind and before and laid his hand on us. Today, spend a few minutes being completely honest with God about how you actually are, not how you think you should be. Then rest in the truth that you are known and held. Let that freedom soften how you treat yourself.
Prayer
Lord, you know me completely and still love me. Help me stop hiding from you.