Mid-Week Message - He Knows

"You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.  You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.  You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.  Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely."  Psalm 139:1-4  (NIV)

The words I dreaded most when I was young were, "Just wait until your father gets home."  Oh, my!  Even now I can feel the churning in the pit of my stomach that I would feel then.  Since I would inevitably get myself in trouble early in the morning, this meant that I would spend the day hating the thought of the person I looked up to most in life returning home.  When the car turned into the driveway, I would retreat to one of two places - under the bed or in the closet.  As I would sit in the dark of the closet, I can remember thinking, "Not even God could find me in here."  Yet, my dad would walk straight into my room and open the door.  

As a mother, I think back on these times and am able to understand that my wonderful daddy knew how to find me because he knew and loved me.  He knew my habits and reactions.  And he knew my joys and my fears. He always told me that disciplining me hurt him far more than it hurt me which was something that I could finally perceive when I was a parent myself.  

As I go through my daily activities, I am seeing more and more people wearing masks.  I can't tell whether they are happy or sad.  The clues that I have always used to gauge another's mood are hidden.  Quiet smiles can't be returned because they can't be seen.  These pieces of fabric have changed how we interact with one another and I find that distressing but it also reminds me that we have a heavenly Father who cannot be hidden from.  

I find great comfort in the knowledge that there is nothing I can do apart from His presence and attention.  When I am joyful, He knows.  When I am hurting, He is there.  When I feel lost, He is ready to guide me.  When I am ashamed, He is reassuring and comforting.  He knows all of my thoughts, all of my words, all of my movements and everything about what is yet to come.  And He knows these things about every person who is living now, has lived before, and who will live in the future.

Now, maybe more than any time is most of our lives, we need to be praying for each other.  Not just for family and friends, but for each person who crosses our paths.  The uncertainty of the days is great and many are fearful of what may come.  We might be able to hide our feelings from each other but we cannot ever hide from our Lord.  How precious to know that there will never be a time, place or circumstance when He will not be beside us.  

I cannot know how you are feeling today but I am praying for you.  As we attempt to go on with our lives in as normal a fashion as possible, I hope we can all take great comfort in knowing that the Creator of the universes is on our side and in control.  He is intimately aware of all that each of us are experiencing and His great love surrounds us at all times.  We may want to hide from reality but we will never need to hide from the One who cares for us the most.  God bless!