Psalm 139:1-3, 13-16, 23-24 (NIV)
You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful; I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.
“One of the most notable of the sacred hymns. It sings the omniscience and omnipresence of God, inferring from these the overthrow of the powers of wickedness, since he who sees and hears the abominable deeds and words of the rebellious will surely deal with them according to his justice. The brightness of this Psalm is like unto a sapphire stone, or Ezekiel’s “terrible crystal”; it flames out with such flashes of light as to turn night into day. Like a Pharos, this holy song casts a clear light even to the uttermost parts of the sea and warns us against that practical atheism which ignores the presence of God, and so makes shipwreck of the soul.”
Charles Spurgeon knew well the sometimes-uncomfortable pervasive presence of the God of the Universe. From before the foundations of the world…and in the depths of the earth…to your mother’s womb…to every motion, thought, word and deed of your life, God’s presence is pervasive, persistent, and passionate. He knows every nook and cranny of your existence—past, present, and future—so it is not only foolish to think of Him as outside your circumstances, but utterly ridiculous. Psalm 139 is well known as the most pro-life psalm and perhaps passage in the entire Bible, but as magnificent as that is, there is even more than that packed into these 24 verses that I simply cannot unpack in one short devotional.
Psalm 139 shouts in beautiful and poetic language the God created sanctity of each and every human life. No person that calls themselves a follower of Christ can possibly justify being anything other than ardently and passionately pro-life. God creates each and every baby in its mother’s womb and signs His name in the awesome intricacy of the human body, mind, and spirit.
Psalm 139 shouts of God’s intimate knowledge of our very being in every way imaginable. Indeed, where can you go from His Spirit, or where can you flee from His presence (v. 7)? Nowhere! You simply cannot escape the knowledge of God, nor can you escape His concern, or love, or commitment.
Finally, Psalm 139 shouts of God’s worthiness by which we should be happy to lay bare before him every thought and intent of our hearts—since He knows them, anyway—and humbly ask Him to correct us and lead us in His way rather than our own (v. 24).
Yes, Psalm 139 is “the pro-life psalm,” to be sure, but it is even more than that. It is pro-life, pro-intimacy, pro-omniscience, pro-humility, pro-companionship, pro-honesty, pro-correction, pro-guidance, pro-trustworthiness, pro-obedience, pro-God, pro-you and pro-me! When you are feeling isolated and alone, read Psalm 139. When you are feeling worthless, read Psalm 139. When you are feeling like God doesn’t understand or care about what you are going through, read Psalm 139. For a reminder of just how pro-your-life God is, read Psalm 139…and choose to rest in how it shouts for joy over your very existence.
Amen.
