WRITTEN BY TIM LABRECHE
For most of last month, I have been attending the Citizen’s Academy, which the Le Mars Police Department and the Plymouth County Sheriff put on together. It’s been an exciting month to see what the officers protecting us go through. My eyes have been opened to how knowledgeable, skilled, and proficient they are in all they do. All the topics discussed have been fascinating and fun to learn and participate in. One of those sections was interviews and interrogations.
From watching many police procedural shows throughout the years and during my time in the Citizen’s Academy, I’ve learned that both interviews and interrogations are necessary because there are facts that need to be gathered and information to be learned. There may be a lot of unknowns that need to be figured out to see the whole story of what’s going on. Why? Because, as humans, we don’t know everything. We’re not omniscient. We don’t know everything.
But there is One who not only knows everything there is to know about the vastness of creation, but He knows you intimately, inside and out. David wrote in Psalm 139:
“Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I stand up; you understand my thoughts from far away.
You observe my travels and my rest; you are aware of all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue, you know all about it, Lord.
You have encircled me; you have placed your hand on me.
This wondrous knowledge is beyond me. It is lofty; I am unable to reach it.”
Psalm 139: 1-6 (CSB)
Suppose you were a masterful wood carver and meticulously crafted a large, majestic carving of a bald eagle sitting atop a boulder, showing the smallest detail of every single feather and the intricate details of the eyes and beak of that bird. Don’t you think that you would know everything about that carving? That nothing would go without notice? The same would be true for our Heavenly Father and you. In the passage above, David reveals so much about our God, who not only knows and created everything but knows and created you.
When he wrote that God knows when we sit and when we stand, he’s saying that God knows so much about us that he is also interested in the most everyday things. Everything we do is important to Him.
When David says that He understands our thoughts, we understand that God knows our words before we even speak them and that absolutely nothing is hidden from him.
When David says that God observes our travels and is aware of all of our ways, it might be somewhat unnerving to some. In today’s world, outside of your home, it’s uncommon to be in a place that doesn’t have video surveillance. There are cameras in the grocery stores, at the gas station, in our schools, and even in churches and daycare centers. Sometimes, it’s uncomfortable to know that you may be watched somehow because you don’t know who is doing the watching. But, there is comfort in knowing our God can always see us because of our confidence in His love for us. We know that He is holy. His consistent knowledge of us is a comfort.
When all is said and done, I am thankful that my God knows me inside and out. Because he knows my deepest fears, he knows how to encourage me. Because He knows my routines, He knows how to shake my day up in a positive way. Because He knows where I am weak, He knows how to strengthen me.
What about you? Does knowing that the omniscient God who created the heavens and the earth bring you peace? If so, take some time to thank Him.
What if it doesn’t bring peace? What if you’re so scared that God knows so much about you? Are those secrets buried deep where nobody else can find them still haunting your heart? Yeah, He knows about them, and He still loves you! I would encourage you to spend some time alone with Him, ask forgiveness, if needed, and ask Him to wash His peace over you and reveal the truth of His unconditional love He has for you.
