Friday, September 21, 2012

September 22, 2012 ~ The Lord Searches Me



O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
You understand my thought from afar.
You scrutinize my path and my lying down,
And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.
Even before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold, O Lord, You know it all.
You have enclosed me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is too high, I cannot attain to it.
Psalm 139:1-6


Thoughts~

School is taking up so much time this semester and I feel like I am meeting “the going to sleep self” with the “waking up self.” To counterbalance my studies, I make sure I spend at least 30 minutes in another room of my home, reading God’s word and praying before I begin my classes. I love that time because it is then that I hear the whispers of the Holy Spirit and where peace floods my soul.

God searches me during my quiet times with Him as I ask Him to remind me of any sin I have not confessed. God’s gift of the Holy Spirit is amazing to me. There is such untapped power that lies within our hearts and I pray that my ears are opened wide so I hear Him speak.

I love studying the word, and I love simply reading it as a devotional time like I do in the mornings. Today I want to show you a way that will help you know what a verse or verses have to say directly to you. It’s similar to the way Kay Arthur teaches in her Precepts Ministry but with my own slant for this blog. Ready?

In aqua I mark* every word that refers to the Lord.

O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
You understand my thought from afar.
You scrutinize my path and my lying down,
And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.
Even before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold, O Lord, You know it all.
You have enclosed me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is too high, I cannot attain to it.
Psalm 139:1-6

Now, taking the same verse, I mark* in red every word that could refer to me.

O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
You understand my thought from afar.
You scrutinize my path and my lying down,
And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.
Even before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold, O Lord, You know it all.
You have enclosed me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is too high, I cannot attain to it.
Psalm 139:1-6

Now I mark* every word that describes an action that God has done.

O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
You understand my thought from afar.
You scrutinize my path and my lying down,
And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.
Even before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold, O Lord, You know it all.
You have enclosed me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is too high, I cannot attain to it.
Psalm 139:1-6

And all together, you will see how God has so deeply loved you.

O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
You understand my thought from afar.
You scrutinize my path and my lying down,
And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.
Even before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold, O Lord, You know it all.
You have enclosed me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is too high, I cannot attain to it.
Psalm 139:1-6

And so, by marking the words, I am able to see clearer how the Lord has:

searched me
known me
knows when I sit down and when I rise up 
understands my thoughts
scrutinizes my paths and lying down
is intimately acquainted with my ways
knows my thoughts before I speak,
enclosed me from behind and before
laid His hand on me.

The Psalmist was so in awe of God’s magnificent knowledge, care and love for us.  So am I.

Action~

Find a verse in the Psalms and copy it out and try this way of highlighting the words. This is from the New American Standard Bible but you may want to use the same verse in your favorite translation or try another Psalm.

Mark it one step at a time just like I did. And watch how the word of God comes alive for you.

Prayer~

Thank you Lord for searching me and knowing everything there is to know. And for loving me still. How I love you!

Trusting in the Lord~
Becky

*When marking directly in your Bible, use colored pencils or special highlighters that don't bleed through.

1 comment:

  1. This such great advice to revive a deeper closeness to the Lord though His precious living Word. May the Holy Spirit touch the hearts and minds of all who read this blog and ignite a fresh passion to reading, studying and living the Word of God. Amen. This is the time, we Followers of Christ must be armed, ready to give a reason for the hope that we have in the Gospel. A desperate lost and sick world is waiting for redemption.

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