“What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?” – Psalm 8:4
“But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works.” – Psalm 73:28
“O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.” – Psalm 139:1-3
I’ll admit it – I’m a cheap date. You’ll often find me accompanying my husband to Lowes, Home Depot, and a variety of auto parts stores. I try to look like a regular, but I’m sure I stick out like a sore thumb, and I usually only have the most rudimentary understanding of why we’re even there.
And the truth is, I’m just happy to be along for the ride. I love following this guy around who is my polar opposite on the outside, and my true, God-given soulmate on the inside (and he’s cute, too). I love seeing his brilliance in all the things I don’t understand. And because he understands me, he always grabs a bottle of Coke from the refrigerated drink case at the checkout and presents it to me as we head to the parking lot.
In Psalm 139, David marvels at the God Who understands him, and he articulates the balance of awe and intimacy that God desires from each of us.
I particularly love the lines of Verses 2 and 3, where God is essentially interested, even invested, in our every waking moment. It’s a truth that we all too often miss the opportunity to live in – maybe because we assume that a Big God can’t be bothered with the small stuff. But consider Verses 13-16, where the Creator of the universe meticulously designs and records every detail of David’s life – forming his body and numbering his days.
Throughout the chapter, David refers to the eternal, everywhere presence of God, but here’s the awesome part – it’s not just that God is omnipresent (though that’s certainly true), it’s the incomprehensible truth that God chooses to be present in every aspect of our lives.
David believed that God cared about every last shred of his existence. More importantly, he understood that God had a specific design for His life that could only be accomplished through even deeper intimacy. And in verses 23-24, David welcomes God’s honest opinion of anything that needs to change in his life.
Do we welcome that kind of invasive examination of the heart and motives? And do we even care to see the things that only God can show us in ourselves?
His total knowledge of us is more than just a super power; it’s a desire on His part to share His intimate knowledge of us with us, so He can further shape us and work in us day in and day out. But while God chooses to care about everything that concerns you, only YOU can choose to involve Him in everything (Psalm 8, 56:8, 116, 121, 138:8, Jeremiah 29:11-13, 33:3, Matthew 6:31-32, Philippians 1:6).
And let me stress this. The more familiar you are with God when life seems calm and quiet, the better-equipped you’ll be for the storms. And it’s much easier to run to the throne for help, when every moment is already a running conversation with God (Psalm 145:18, Hebrews 4:16, 10:22, James 4:8).
So ask yourself – are there areas of your life that you’ve simply left God out of? Are there little everyday things that seem to be small enough for you to handle in your own strength? Do you have a hard time believing that a mighty God cares about your silly little problems?
Let me invite you to invite God into the little things. Invite Him along for the ride – not just because you need Him (although you do), but because you want to know Him the way He knows you. Don’t marginalize His influence in your life or reduce Him to “in case of emergency” status. True relationship is forged in the sweat of the small stuff – the sharing of everyday experiences, ragged routines, and mundane moments (Psalm 121, Isaiah 43:1-3, 49:16, 54:5, Matthew 11:28-30, Luke 12:7, I Peter 5:6-7).
Share the small stuff with our Big God, and be in awe of the fact that you are such a big deal to Him.
YOUR PRESCRIPTION
Where does your day take you? Do you always take God along? Do a little self-examination, and ask God to show you the small stuff that He wants to use to bring you closer to Him.
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