ODJ: even in the dark
June 29, 2010
Lord, You have examined my heart and know everything about me (v.1).
READ: Psalm 139:1-17
Joining the rash of reality television shows in the United States, Dating in the Dark hit the airwaves last summer. Each week, three guys and three girls got together for a week of dates—in a darkened room. They all made the rounds, talking and sharing meals as couples. But they never actually saw what one another looked like. At the end of the experiment, each of them picked the one they were most attracted to. Then, in a nerve-wracking encounter, they received glimpses of the other—discovering whether or not physical appearance ruined their attraction.
The whole enterprise preys on one of our most personal fears—if someone sees who we really are, they will want nothing to do with us.
This fear is why I find Psalm 139 to be so amazing. David tells me that there is absolutely nothing about me that God does not see. It’s out in the open, bright as the sun. No matter where I go, whether “I travel [or] rest at home,” God sees (v.3). He knows my actions even before I think to do them (v.2). My most private thoughts echo in God’s ears. God hears “what I am going to say even before I say it” (v.4) There isn’t a single thing we can hide from God, no matter how hard we try.
Knowing this could make me fall down and cower before God. If God sees all my impure motives and my lustful thoughts and my shadowy desires, surely He finds me despicable. Surely God will push me aside with disgust. Stunningly, David says just the opposite. “How precious are Your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!” (v.17).
God’s kindness toward us flows with pure, undeserved generosity. We are free to come out of the dark because God already sees and knows us—and loves us anyway. —Winn Collier
What are you attempting to hide from God? How would you find freedom by shining God’s loving light in your dark places?
Tweet This
Share on Facebook
Digg This
Save to delicious
Stumble it-
RSS Feed
Related
ODB: Abusing Grace?
April 30, 2011 READ: Romans 6:1-14 Do not let sin reign in your mortal body. —Romans 6:12 Paul said in Romans 5:20, “Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more.” But that radical concept opens a theological floodgate. The biblical writer Jude warned that it is possible to “change the grace of our God into a [...]
ODJ: seeing clearly
August 29, 2011 Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity (v.12). READ: 1 Corinthians 13 Mom, turn the mirror so I can see better.” Riding behind me in the car, my son asked me to set the rearview mirror so he could see himself [...]
ODJ: who do you trust?
March 24, 2011 God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble (v.1). READ: Psalm 46:1-11 Our world is suffering from a crisis of authority. The grown-ups in charge seem to be either incompetent or evil or both. Bankers and traders so ruined the world’s financial system that [...]
ODJ: radical change
October 8, 2010 I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart (v.19). READ: Ezekiel 11:14-21 In a world where we so easily create virtual identities, we’re often tempted to paint ourselves in the best (exaggerated) light and to make ourselves appear as though we’re more accomplished or popular [...]
Christian Courses
Day Of Discovery
Discover The Word
Discovery Series
Help For My Life
My Utmost For His Highest
Our Daily Bread
Our Daily Journey
RBC Ministries
WarungSateKaMu
Manasociety
雅米