Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I stand up; You understand my thoughts from far away. You observe my travels and my rest; You are aware of all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue, You know all about it, Lord. You have encircled me; You have placed Your hand on me. This extraordinary knowledge is beyond me. It is lofty; I am unable to reach it. Psalm 139:1-6
My words…
A Prayer of Praise to the One Who Encircles Me
You know everything about me, Lord. You know the number of times I have sat and risen. You know all the places on earth where my feet have touched. You know the number of my words from my very first to the ones I am writing now. You know the final word of this prayer before I have even written it. Those I love here on earth, those closest to me, do not fully understand me (nor I them), but You know all my ways. You get me. As You know, I spend a lot of time wondering about You. I don’t know all Your ways. I don’t get You. What You know is beyond what I can know. Like David, I can stretch and reach for it my whole life and never grasp it. It is lofty. Then, when I am tired and sore from stretching, Your Spirit says, “It is enough.” And I grow calm and at peace, and I rest in the truth that what I know of You is enough. You are not an intricate machine that I need to take apart and reassemble to know how You work. That’s not my job. It is enough that I know You encircle me. If my spiritual eyes were opened, I would see Your circle of provision around me, for You have blessed me with much more than just daily bread. I would see Your circle of protection around me, for Your heavenly armies fight for me. I would see Your circle of comfort around me, which soothes my spirit and dries my tears. And I would see Your circle of love around me, the circle from which all other circles originate. The circles spin; they bathe me in perfect light – Your light. This doesn’t come close to capturing how You encircle me. I know that. But for now, it is enough.
