"O LORD, you have probed me and you know me; you know when I sit and when I stand; you understand my thoughts from afar...Truly you have formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb. I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made; wonderful are your works." Ps 139
Psalm 139 is so evocative and positive that it can sustain us especially during periods of personal spiritual darkness. Affirming in a way that startles us, the psalmist reminds us that God is always seeking us, like an ardent lover who cannot and will not take "no" for an answer. As God pursues us, even if we try to run away, there is no place to escape God's ardent yearning. In all of this, God is portrayed as someone who not only made us wonderful, but who also wants us to live in wonder and awe at the beauty of being alive and in God.
Because so many people are busy about weighty matters, it is easy to lose focus. The demands of job, family, and fraternal life can suck the life out of a day leaving us tired and disoriented. When this happens, we need to return to Psalm 139 and read it slowly. No matter how fast we go or how we try to avoid God's loving gaze, we cannot escape his love or care. As the psalmist reminds us: "If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there." (139:8) Disciplining ourselves to take a few minutes each day to remember this and be grateful can make all the difference.
Today, remember that God is nearer to us than we re to ourselves.
How have you experienced God pursuing you?
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