Psalm 139 Fearfully and wonderfully made

Psalm 139

I find the end of this Psalm extremely difficult - the truth of it is the end of this Psalm is scary "Test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting"

On balance, I think I'd rather not be tested, thank you very much.

The Methodist church has a similarly scary prayer - traditionally it is prayed at the start of the year to commit the following year and life to God.

I am no longer my own, but yours.

Put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will;

put me to doing, put me to suffering;

let me be employed for you, or laid aside for you,

exalted for you, or brought low for you;

let me be full,

let me be empty,

let me have all things,

let me have nothing:

I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things

to your pleasure and disposal.

And now, glorious and blessed God,

Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

you are mine and I am yours. So be it.

And the covenant now made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven.

Amen.

See what I mean? - this is pretty scary stuff!

However let us put it into context - this Psalm is one of wonder and is very intimate and full of trust.

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.

Before a word is on my tongue you LORD, know it completely.

You hem me in behind and before, and lay our hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain..

Where can I go from your Spirit?

Where can I flee from your presence?

If I go up to the heavens, you are there

If make my bed in the depths, you are there

If I rise on the wings of the dawn, 

if I settle at the far side of the sea, 

even there your hand will guide me, your right hand hold me fast.

If I say "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me"

even the darkness will not be dark to you, 

the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.

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.

How precious to me are your thoughts, God!

How vast is the sum of them!

Were I to count them , they would outnumber the grains of sand - 

When I awake I am still with you.

Still all is not totally rosy, there are still wicked, bloodthirsty, God hating people who act in rebellion and abhorring the ways of God., however God is far, far greater than these people!

With a God as close as this, the scary stuff at the end of the Psalm is actually quite a lot less scary given that God knows me and thinks so much me!