139 - Kings Kaleidoscope

scripture and prayer reflection

---

Click HERE to listen to the song on Spotify

Lyrics

You heard my first heartbeat before I could breathe

Before my first cry, you knew me

You knit me together when I was conceived

When I was designed, you knew me

You know what I wonder before I can speak

Before my first thoughts, You know me

You see what I'm dreaming when I go to sleep

When I'm waking up you know me

I could run away or hide beneath the sea

You'd still hear my prayers

I could climb the peaks or dive beyond the deep

You are always there

Crafted the heavens and care for my soul

In all of your ways, You're holy

When I'm lost in darkness and far from my home

Your hand guides my way and holds me

I could run away or hide beneath the sea

You'd still hear my prayers

I could climb the peaks or dive beyond the deep

Oh, my God, You are there

You are the God who knows and loves me

The God of David, the Rock of ages

You are the King who dwells above me

The king of Zion, the mighty Lion

Psalm 139:1-18, 23-24

1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me!

2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;

you discern my thoughts from afar.

3 You search out my path and my lying down

and are acquainted with all my ways.

4 Even before a word is on my tongue,

behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.

5 You hem me in, behind and before,

and lay your hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

it is high; I cannot attain it.

7 Where shall I go from your Spirit?

Or where shall I flee from your presence?

8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!

If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!

9 If I take the wings of the morning

and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

10 even there your hand shall lead me,

and your right hand shall hold me.

11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,

and the light about me be night,”

12 even the darkness is not dark to you;

the night is bright as the day,

for darkness is as light with you.

13 For you formed my inward parts;

you knitted me together in my mother's womb.

14. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Wonderful are your works;

my soul knows it very well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you,

when I was being made in secret,

intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;

in your book were written, every one of them,

the days that were formed for me,

when as yet there was none of them.

17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!

How vast is the sum of them!

18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand.

I awake, and I am still with you.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart!

Try me and know my thoughts!

24 And see if there be any grievous way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting!

Reflection

In this time of quarantine, all of us are experiencing disruption to our normal rhythms of life to one degree or another. For those experiencing loneliness and disconnection in this season, there may be a heavy sense of isolation, as though we are each trapped on little deserted islands, with only housemates or our immediate family, or perhaps no one at all with us. In the isolation and loneliness it may be tempting to despair in the face of uncertain end dates.

But the truth is, we are not alone, even now. Taken from Psalm 139, this song is a reflection on how intimately God knows us. He has known us from before we existed, planned and knitted us together, created each of us uniquely. He is always with us; there is nowhere we can run to escape His presence.

And yet this knowledge and presence is not that of an impersonal, detached, uncaring God or a condemning “big brother” type of observer waiting to catch us doing something wrong. God’s knowledge of us and presence with us are personal and loving. He draws near to His creation in spite of our sin and rebellion — so much so that He takes on human form in order to redeem His people. He has drawn near to you, not just in the high points of your life but in this time as well.

Take some time to reflect Psalm 139, paying particular attention to the personal and intimate nature of God’s knowledge of you. Meditate on the fact that He is with you — whether you are being run ragged by small children, or are trying to come up with activities to fight boredom in long, dragging days, or are all alone and feeling the weight of disconnection from others. If you find it helpful, imagine Jesus sitting, walking, sharing meals with you throughout your day.