The Word

Understanding Psalm 139: How God Knows Us Completely

“You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.” by Auxiliary Captain Dorothy Gates

We all have our favorite scripture passages. My favorite psalm is Psalm 139. Several years ago, I wrote a euphonium solo for my friend and colleague Aaron VanderWeele of the New York Staff Band. In preparation for composing his solo, I asked Aaron what his favorite Scripture was. He answered Psalm 139. I used the first six verses of the psalm to create the piece, which I aptly entitled “Shadowed.” Come with me on a journey through the first six verses of Psalm 139 and see how our God shadows us.

Psalm 139 is a song of David. Musicians would have performed and sung this magnificent psalm. It is a remarkable piece of poetic theology–powerful writing in every sense. Why is it so powerful? There are many reasons this psalm is so impactful. It is intimate. It is personal. It is true. The psalm covers some big theological ideas and concepts like: Omniscience — the state of knowing everything; Omnipresence — the presence of God everywhere at the same time; Omnipotence — having unlimited power. Psalm 139 examines these vast ideas of God as all-knowing, all-present, and all-powerful. Yet none of these terms actually appear in the psalm. Instead, these profound truths are broken down into more digestible, personal bites so we can understand them clearly, without confusion. These truths are conveyed in a deeply personal way.

Verse 1 tells us, “You have searched me, Lord, and you know me” (NIV). He knows me! What could be more intimate than that? The almighty God, who knows everything, knows me. No matter how you look at it, the fact that God knows me and knows you is nearly impossible to fathom. It means God knows me intimately, with all my dark secrets. He knows me, one out of more than 8 billion people in the world. God knows me!

Verse 2 continues, “You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.” To paraphrase, the psalmist says, “You know what I do. You know my actions and my movements — you know when I sit and when I rise.” The psalmist also tells us that God knows our thoughts. It is impossible to deceive God because He knows our innermost thoughts and secret desires. You know, those things that we think are hidden — that no one on earth knows. Guess what? They’re not hidden from God. He knows them. “You perceive my thoughts from afar.” The word “afar” tells us that distance is no issue for God. It doesn’t matter how far we’ve traveled from Him or from His presence — He knows our thoughts.

Verse 3 tells us, “You know where I go.” That bar, or that club — all my ways are known to You. “You are familiar with all my ways.” Verse 4 tells us that God knows what we say even before a word is on our tongues. He knows us completely. He knows us better than we know ourselves. We can be masters of disguise with each other. We can hide our past, exaggerate or deny things about ourselves, or conceal our secret desires from our loved ones. But we can’t hide these things from God. We can’t conceal them from His all-searching, all-knowing gaze. Hiding didn’t work for Adam and Eve — and guess what — it still doesn’t work today. Perhaps we would prefer a “manageable” God, one who is easier to control — someone less all-knowing, less all-present, and less all-powerful. But the God of Psalm 139 is not someone who can be neatly boxed in. He knows everything about us!

Verse 5 tells us God knows that our ultimate need is for His presence: “You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me” (NIV). To me, this speaks of protection, grace, and God’s love toward us. The image of His hand upon me sounds gentle. Being in His presence is what we all need. And being in His presence is what He wants, too. We need the shelter and protection of God’s hand. We need Him watching over us. David, in effect, is saying, “I am an open book to you.”

Verse 6 is David’s response to all of this: “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.” And so it is; God knows us completely. God knows us intimately. God knows us. “You have searched me and know me.” There are two ways to approach this amazing reality. This knowledge can either be terrifying or an awesome privilege to behold. O God, You know me — my missteps, my misspoken words, and yet You still love me! And what’s more, You are still seeking a relationship with me.

So, where do we find ourselves today? Like David, do we find this knowledge too wonderful to comprehend? Do we find the thought of an all-knowing God terrifying? Or do we see it as a wonderful privilege to have the protection of this all-knowing, all-present, all-powerful God watching out for us? If you find it terrifying, I encourage you to see God’s love and grace in this and embrace the privilege of His wonderful protection. He loves you — He knows you. And He wants nothing more than for you to know Him intimately, personally, just as He knows you.

If you don’t know Jesus, I encourage you to reach out to Him and seek His presence. And if you do know Jesus, maybe it’s time to examine your heart and those secret things that only you and the Lord know about. Perhaps you need to surrender those secrets to Him so there’s room for more of His presence in your life. Isn’t that what we all need? More of His divine presence. Oh Lord, search me, and know me, so that I may know You in all Your divinity.

AN OPEN INVITATION

You can receive the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ by praying something like the following:

Dear God, I know I am a sinner. I need Your forgiveness and grace. I believe that Christ paid the penalty for my sin, and He died in my place, and He rose from the dead. I invite Jesus Christ to come into my life as Savior. Thank You for saving me from my sin and making me Your child. Help me to grow and learn how to serve You. Amen.

This article was originally titled “God Knows Us Completely: How God Shadows Us” in the February 2025 issue of The War Cry.

ALL Articles