I would title Psalm 139, "Who Knows You Best?" It's important for us to humbly admit we all have a problem: we think that we know ourselves well. But there's something that gets in the way of accurate self-knowledge. The Bible says that sin is deceitful, that sin blinds, and guess who it blinds first? I have no problem seeing the sin of my wife and children. But I can be surprised when mine is pointed out.
So, check this out. As long as sin lives inside of us--and it still does--remember the gospel: all of our sin has been forgiven by the justifying mercies of Jesus, but our sin has not yet been fully eradicated. It is progressively being eradicated; we call that progressive sanctification. So, all of us still have sin living inside of us. And as long as sin lives inside of us, there will be pockets of personal, spiritual blindness, pockets of blindness in our view of ourselves. So, this is important, no one, none of us can say, "No one knows me better than I know myself!" because we don't see ourselves accurately.
My word picture for this is, when we look at ourselves, we're looking through a carnival mirror. A carnival mirror is bent and twisted so you see yourself with distortion. You don't actually have a two-inch torso and a six-foot neck; that's a distortion!
So, Psalm 139 is in the Bible to confront us with the inaccuracy of self-knowledge and the place where accurate self-knowledge is to be found. It's not in the opinion of others. It's not in a self-help book that you can buy from Amazon.
O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.
Psalm 139 says: God knows your everyday schedule; he knows your thoughts before you think them; he knows everywhere you go; he knows what you're going to say before you say it; his hand is always on you; his knowledge is too high for you to attain; you will never know yourself like God knows you; it's impossible to escape his presence; he leads you; he knows you intimately because he made you; he is the author of every detail of your story.
There is no such thing as intimate, accurate self-knowledge that doesn't begin with the LORD. And so, this one who knows us well has given us his Word. So, in this mirror, we can look and see ourselves as we actually are because this Word is given to us by the one who knows us with this kind of intimacy.
We can't escape his knowledge; we can't escape his presence. The Psalm goes on to say that he knew us while we were still being knit in our mother's womb. What an incredible picture that is.
So, what's the only proper response to this self-knowledge, this knowledge that God has of us? Here it is:
Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!
May that be our prayer: "God, you search me, you know me, you lead me, you expose me. I trust your knowledge!"
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion
1. Have you always felt like you know yourself better than anyone else? Why, once you factor your own sin into the equation, is your opinion of yourself something that's generally unreliable? Because of sin, why is looking at yourself like looking into a carnival mirror of distortion?
2. Since the Bible says that God knows us better than we know ourselves, how does this comfort you? What are a few specific things from Psalm 139 that bring you peace? List them. How might Psalm 139 make you feel uncomfortable? List some of the specific language in the psalm that makes you feel that way.
3. Take some time right now to pray, "God, you search me, you know me, and you lead me. I trust your knowledge. See if there is any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!" Now take some time to write down anything grievous that God exposes to you through that prayer. Repent of it before him, and trust him to lead you step-by-step each day.
Conversation Prompts to Use with Children
For Younger Children:
• If our bathroom mirror was one of those crazy carnival mirrors that shows a funny reflection that stretches your face or neck or legs...would looking in it be a good way to see a true reflection of yourself? Why or why not? Why do you think sin messes up our ability to see our own selves clearly or accurately?
• Who sees us for who we truly are without any messiness or distortion? Why is it good news that God knows everything about us and we can't hide from him? If God sees us accurately and sin has messed us up, how can our situation be fixed?
For Older Children:
Do you think anyone knows you better than you know yourself? How might sin distort your own perception of yourself? Do you think anyone can truly know themselves with 100% accuracy because of the factor of sin in every human heart?
Psalm 139 says God knows us better than we know ourselves. How does that comfort you? How does that make you feel uncomfortable? What about it causes discomfort in you? Why is being 100% known by God a potentially scary thing? Because of the nature of God (his goodness, kindness, graciousness) why is being completely known by him a good thing, not a bad thing?
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