Psalm 139:1-5; 12-17 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 139:1-5; 12-17 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
Verse 2You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away.
Verse 3You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.
Verse 4Even before a word is on my tongue, O Lord, you know it completely.
Verse 5You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.
Verse 12even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day, for darkness is as light to you.
Verse 13For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
Verse 14I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well.
Verse 15My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Verse 16Your eyes beheld my unformed substance. In your book were written all the days that were formed for me, when none of them as yet existed.
Verse 17How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!
Devotion
Samuel did not know the Lord. But the Lord knew Samuel. God knew his potential and laid a hand on him – chose him to do important tasks.
God lays a hand on many to do the work of the kingdom. Often those chosen seem to be poor choices: Jonah tried to run away. Jacob was dishonest. Moses claimed incompetence. Yet God worked through them. The Bible notes that God chooses those whom the world calls weak and unfit to do kingdom work. For God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.
God chooses us, too, to be a part of his team. In this Psalm, David admits he can’t understand God’s ways, but they work. At the end, he says, ”I am still with you.” (v. 18). That’s all that matters.
Prayer
Lord, help us to trust you for our future and to allow you to lay your hand on us so we can be a part of your plans.