He Knew!

    

       "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 wondrous knowledge is beyond me.  It is lofty;  I am unable to reach it.... Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in your book and planned before a single one of them began."   (Psalm 139:1-6, 16 CSB)

      As I sit with my toes dipped in the mighty ocean, I consider this favorite Psalm of mine and it takes my breath away! This goal I've had, to sometime get back to the beach and walk to the shoreline under my own strength-- my Father knew before I was even born, not just that I would have this illness and this dream, but the exact day and time I would achieve my goal. 

      And then I think "Silly girl! How can you even imagine you got here "under your own steam"? I am quickly humbled to acknowledge all the power behind my "steam": Bill, Dr. K., Dr. P., Doc S, Annie Hopper's "Retraining the Brain," the countless prayers offered by so many loved ones (probably even more than I know!), not to mention love & support in more ways than I can name. And there, over, under, alongside, and through all those precious instruments, the grace of my Great God and loving Father.

      Let that sink in a moment. Those verses apply to you as much as to me. They applied to me long before I ever acknowledged them. Like it or not, accept it or not, the God Who created you knows everything you've done and ever will do! Oh, He's not manipulating you like a puppet-- He just knows His creation like we can't even comprehend, better than we know ourselves. 

      How often have you longed to be known, really deeply known, by maybe just one other person? I know I wanted that for much of my life, until I realized I HAVE it, you have it, we all have it! And the One Who knows us better than our parents, spouse, best friend is the One Who has ALL knowledge about EVERYTHING! And not only that, He has all wisdom, and He wants to be our Guide, our Counselor, our Comforter through His Holy Spirit, the Paraclete (in Greek, literally advocate).

      Oh my friend, wherever you are this moment, whatever you're going through right now, stop and drink in that truth-- God knows. Take comfort and smile. That's what I'm doing!