As we pray with Psalm 139, God seems to be inviting us to truly ponder the wonder of being wanted and intimately known in the purest way possible. A mutual knowing of God and ourselves is what fosters intimacy. Sometimes, spiritual practices span a rigid continuum. One side involves study and learning about the God of the Scriptures. Another side leans towards petitioning God for our needs and wants as well as those of others. Yet somewhere in the middle of those worthy practices is a place to simply be seen and known by a mysterious Creator who is also beyond knowing and often difficult to see clearly.
What’s it like for you to show up and simply be seen by God? To simply see and acknowledge yourself just as you are? This can be very uncomfortable and often hard to do. What supports you in allowing yourself to be seen, acknowledged, and wanted for exactly who you are?
May there be space today to pause, listen and be seen by God. May there be grace to linger in all the feels of being seen, known, understood, and wanted, just as you are.
Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18 (NRSV)
O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from far away.
You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
O Lord, you know it completely.
You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is so high that I cannot attain it.
For it was you who formed my inward parts;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
that I know very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your 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.
How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
I try to count them—they are more than the sand;
I come to the end—I am still with you.
For Reflection and Prayer:
Was there a word, phrase or image which caught your attention you as you listened to or slowly read the text? Quietly reflect on this with Jesus.
Notice any felt sense that seems to emerge as you linger with this passage. It might come as a bodily feeling, emotion, metaphor, picture, gesture or sound. See if you can describe it and simply be with it with patient curiosity. Be open to whatever more might emerge.
Perhaps you might want to draw, color or journal your conversation.
As the time of prayer comes to a close, share some quiet moments with Jesus, simply resting safely in his presence.
Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18 (Psalms for Praying by Nan Merrill)
O my Beloved,
You have searched me and known me.
You discern my innermost thoughts.
You find me on the journey and guide my steps;
You know my strengths and my weaknesses.
Even before my words rise up in prayer,
Lo, you have already heard my heart call.
You encompass me with love where’er I go,
and your strength is my shield.
Such sensitivity is too wonderful for me; it is high:
boundless gratitude is my soul’s response.
For You formed my inward being,
You knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise You, for You are to be reverenced and adored.
Your mysteries fill me with wonder.
More than I know myself do You know me;
my essence was not hidden from You.
When I was being formed in secret,
intricately fashioned from the elements of the earth,
Your eyes beheld my unformed substance;
in your records were written every one of them.
The days that were numbered for me,
when as yet there were none of them.
How precious to me are your creations,
O Blessed One!
How vast the sum of them!
Who could count your innumerable gifts and blessings?
At all times, You are with me.