Saturday 01 May 2010

Background

Psalm 139 beautifully describes the inescapable presence of God.And affirms that no matter where we are, no matter where we go orwhat we do God is with us. The psalmist talks about the extremes ofour experience. He says that even when we climb to heaven, orplunge the depths, God is there. For someone who hates the thoughtof either climbing or caving, the assurance that God is presenteven in places that can be frightening is reassuring.

The psalmist also, with great sensitivity, describes the knowledgeGod has of each one of us. "It was you who formed my inward parts;you knit me together in my mother's womb." He is affirming that Godhas created us and therefore knows us better than we knowourselves.

The idea of someone else, even God, knowing our inmost thoughts canbe disconcerting, or even frightening. The notion of someone elsebeing aware of our immediate thought responses to situations thatanger us could be embarrassing. And there are thoughts that it doesnot always feel appropriate to share. But the way the psalmistdescribes the knowledge God has of us is not threatening in anyway. He sees it as something that is positive, reassuring andcomforting, and the knowledge of God's inescapable presence leadshim to offer prayers of praise.

There is also an almost throwaway comment where the psalmist says"How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God". The suggestion isthat, just as God is intimately aware of who we are and the way wethink, so we can know something of the thoughts and the mind ofGod. This is a mind-blowing idea that opens up the possibility of aclose relationship - almost a mutual understanding - between us andthe god who created us.

To Ponder

To what extent do you find it reassuring orthreatening to think of God knowing your innermost thoughts?

How do you respond to the idea that we might knowsomething of the mind of God?