Psalms

Psalms 139: God knows and forms and leads

Begin in prayer

Before David brings his whole life before the God who knows him, let us stop hiding our thoughts. Ask the Lord to bring us to Jesus and lead us in the everlasting way.

whatever prayer and supplication is made by any man, or by all your people Israel, who shall each know the plague of his own heart, and spread out his hands toward this house,

1 Kings 8:38

Father in heaven, please open our eyes as we read Your Word, and help us to see Christ. Show us that the Lord knows and forms His servant, is present everywhere and leads in the everlasting way. Make us more like Jesus. And please bless our family as we worship You together. In Jesus' name, Amen.

See where we're going

David confesses that the Lord knows his actions, thoughts and words before they are spoken, with knowledge too wonderful for him to reach. Heaven, the grave, the farthest sea and darkness offer no escape from God's Spirit and presence. The God who formed him in his mother's womb saw his body and ordained his days before any existed. God's precious thoughts are more than David can count, and waking finds him still with God. He asks God to kill the wicked, rejects bloodthirsty men and declares hatred for those who hate the Lord and misuse His name. Then he asks the same searching God to test his heart, expose any wicked way and lead him in the everlasting way.

As you read Psalms 139, look for the answers:

Reflect together

Key truth

God knows and forms His servant, is present everywhere and is asked to search and lead in the everlasting way.

God knows David's whole life, reaching thoughts, movements and words before the tongue speaks. The hand hemming him in makes that knowledge personal, while its height exceeds his understanding. God's Spirit and presence remain with him across every imagined distance, and darkness cannot hide him from divine sight. The Lord formed his inmost being within his mother, seeing the body hidden from other eyes. Every ordained day was written before it came, so thanksgiving answers God's wonderful making and precious thoughts. David's loyalty becomes an appeal for the wicked to be killed and a declaration that God's enemies have become his own. He hates those who hate the Lord, refusing fellowship with the bloodthirsty who speak wickedly against Him. His final plea turns that seriousness upon his own heart, asking God to find any wicked way and guide him into the everlasting one.

How does Psalm 139 show us that God knows and forms His servant, is present everywhere and is asked to search and lead in the everlasting way?

The LORD knows His servant's thoughts and remains present through every place.

God knows David's actions and words before they come. Heaven, the grave and the distant sea cannot put him beyond God's presence. Even darkness is open to the God whose hand leads and holds him.

The LORD's wonderful making and ordained days call His servant to thankful wonder.

God formed David's inmost being in his mother's womb. His eyes saw the body hidden from others. The days were written before they existed, and God's precious thoughts remain beyond counting.

The holy LORD is asked to judge His enemies and search His servant.

David hates those who hate God and asks for judgment upon the wicked. Then he asks God to search his own heart. He wants every wicked way exposed and the everlasting way to guide his steps.

Memorise

Search me, God, and know my heart. Try me, and know my thoughts.

Psalm 139:23

Looking to Jesus in my life

Ask yourself in your heart, what hidden thought do I need to confess to the Lord Jesus who knows me?

David asks, “Search me, God, and know my heart.” The One who formed him in the womb already knows every thought and word. His searching presence reaches the servant who wants the everlasting way.

We cannot hide our sins from the God who knows us completely. Jesus carried His people's sins, hidden and outward, to the cross, dying under God's righteous judgment. He rose from the grave. His finished sacrifice is enough for their forgiveness and righteous acceptance, fully answering the guilt no darkness could conceal.

Turn from hiding your sin and trust Jesus. All who come to Him find the forgiveness His completed work secures. Ask Him to expose the thoughts you have protected and lead you in His good way. God knows His servant and is present everywhere, so His people ask Him to search them and lead them.

Parent's note

Tell your children that God formed them within their mothers and knows every thought, so their hidden lives matter before Him. David's hatred of God's enemies stands beside his request for God to expose wickedness in his own heart. Call each child to repent and trust Jesus. Pray for God to give them new hearts, since a Christian home cannot save them.

Pray together

Now please close your time together in prayer. Thank God for His knowing presence and wonderful making, and ask Him to search and lead our hearts. Bring the heart question to Him. Every child can pray, so let each one say a short prayer if they want to.

For everyone who does evil hates the light, and doesn’t come to the light, lest his works would be exposed.

John 3:20

Searching Lord, You know our thoughts before we speak and every day before it comes. Please expose our hidden sins and bring us to Jesus for the pardon His finished sacrifice provides. Thank You for forming our children and surrounding us with Your presence. Give us loyal hearts, search our own wicked ways and lead us in the way that lasts forever. Amen.