Letting Down the Walls

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. (Psalm 139:1-3 NIV)

Very often we think of ourselves in a particular way which is shaped by our history and circumstances. We create a picture that we then use to define our identity and which shapes the beliefs we hold about ourselves. That then becomes a filter of how we perceive the way in which other people and God see us. Our perception is valid as it comes from our history and experience but it does not mean it is the correct picture of who we are.

In Psalm 139 we read a detailed account of how the Father sees us and therefore we can believe that this is the true picture of who we really are.

He knows us intimately simply because he created us. He knew what we would be like before we were conceived, before we were knit together in our mother’s womb. He planned each and every day and intended that we should have a good future.

His knowledge of us goes way beyond our knowledge of ourselves. It’s complete, intimate and not based on the filters of history or experience. It is seen from the perfect, eternal perspective of a loving Father. His intimate knowledge of us is too wonderful for us to grasp or understand. As I read this Psalm I find myself asking the Father to give me a glimpse of his knowledge of me, rather than me seeing myself through my filters.

Why don’t you try doing that as well. “Father, how do you see me?” You might be surprised by what he says!