Too great for me to understand

 

Last night it was really dark outside. I am outside on the deck, looking up at the sky. I looked up and there are stars everywhere. Wherever I look there are stars. This overwhelming sight caused me to think of a well- known beautiful psalm written long ago by King David. Read it, meditate on it. Psalm 139.

Isn’t it amazing to think that outside of our earth’s atmosphere, outside of what we can observe with our eyes, there is so much going on? Every day, space is full of events that for most of human history we have been totally unaware. And even now, at this point in history, when we feel like we know so much, we really know so little about the universe. In fact, the more we come to discover, the more we realize how little we really know. The universe is so vast, and we have only laid eyes on such a small part of it.

Whenever I think about the size of the universe and our small body of knowledge about it, I can’t help but think of Psalm 139, and its comments on the limits to our understanding of who God is. Verses 4-5 say this: “You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!”

God is so vast, ruling over all the universe, and yet he cares for us. This reality is so incredible, so big, it is impossible for us to truly understand it. And yet, through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, we have seen this love of God on display.

Psalm 139 is one of the most powerful psalms in the Bible. This psalm comes from King David, and it shows us that before we ever began to pursue God, God pursued us. God knows the real us. The beginning of this psalm makes it clear that God knows us even better than we know ourselves.

Psalm 139:1-4 “O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord.”

Theologians talk about the fact that God is omniscient.

This means that God knows everything, including the past, present, and future. Certainly, Psalm 139 affirms God’s omniscience, but it seems like something deeper is being talked about in this passage. God truly understands us. He knows all our thoughts, all our history, all our fears, all our joys, and all our sorrows.

God is closer to us than we realize.

This psalm also shows us that wherever we are, God is there.

Psalm 139:7-8 “I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there.”

No matter where we are, in life or death, God is there. The psalmist says that we could travel to the other side of the earth, to the farthest oceans, but God would still be present. Theologians call this God’s omnipresence.

Yet, something more than a theological doctrine is discussed in these verses. It can be frightening to realize that we can’t ever get away from God. In fact, even David makes this point in verses 11-12. Because of our sin, we are tempted to try and run away from God. But this is futile; God is always near us and always wants to help us (Psalm 139:10).

God has always been at work in our life.

If we have just started to pursue God, it might feel like God is a new part of our life. In reality, however, the Bible makes it clear that God has been at work in our life before we were born.

Psalm 139:13, 15-16 “… you made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb…You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.”

From conception to death, God has a plan for our life. God has put us on this earth to know him, to honor him, and to help others. And God has been pursuing us for our entire life. The clearest evidence is that he sent his son Jesus Christ to die for our sins on the cross. He did this so we would truly know him.

How do we respond to so wonderful a message?

Psalm 139:17-18 “How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!

Let’s get to know this wonderful God, and experience more of his presence in our lives.

Each month a member of the Cook County Ministerium will offer Spiritual Reflections. This month our contributor is Deacon Peter Mueller of St. John’s Catholic Church in Grand Marais.