The book of Psalms covers the whole range of human emotions and experiences. This psalm is a word of comfort for those who may feel lonely, isolated, or abandoned in the world. God knows you intimately (omniscience) and is always present with you (omnipresence).

Our own knowledge of other people is limited. We know some people only factually. We may have heard of them, read a biography, or seen them on the news, but we don’t really know them. We may be acquainted with other people, perhaps know their name and where they live, but we don’t really know them. We know our close friends and family members more intimately as we know what they enjoy, what they want most in life, and what causes them anxiety. But God’s knowledge of us far surpasses even our most intimate relationships. He knows us deeply and profoundly.

God Knows

“O LORD, You have searched me and known me!” (v. 1 ESV).

God searches us actively, thoroughly, with a penetrating examination. He has probed deeply into every detail of our lives. He sees through the superficial persona we present to others.

“You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You discern my thoughts from afar” (v. 2).

He knows every action, every step we take each day. But He knows not only our outward activities, He knows the thoughts and motivations behind them. He understands our feelings even when we don’t understand them ourselves.

“You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways” (v. 3).

God knows all the details of our lives and why we are the way we are. He comprehends every event and experience that has shaped us.

“Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, You know it altogether” (v. 4).

If all the details that came before weren’t enough, God even knows our future thoughts, words, and actions!

Is this level of knowledge comforting or terrifying? If you’re driving down the highway and see a state trooper in the rearview mirror, does that cause you fear or happiness? It depends on what you’re doing at the time, whether he’s about to stop you or he’s following the guy ahead of you.

If you know you’re living in sin and disobedience to God, it probably is not comforting to remember that He knows every sinful thought, word, and deed. All of us have sinned, and we have alienated ourselves from God (Rom. 3:23). Those who continue to live in sin would prefer to suppress any thoughts of God and His wrath for sin (Rom. 1:18). But the good news is that Jesus Christ made a way for us to be forgiven, reconciled with God, and brought into close relationship with Him. Only then can we find comfort and reassurance by His presence with us.

“You hem me in, behind and before, and lay Your hand upon me” (v. 5).

God is not a distant or disinterested Father. He is close and personal. He surrounds us, wrapping us up in His presence. He is not hidden away on some high mountain. We don’t have to go on a pilgrimage to find Him. He is as close as the air we breathe.

“Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it” (v. 6).

God’s knowledge is deeper and wider than we can begin to imagine, and the fact that He knows all this and still loves us is incredible. It should bring us great comfort to know that we are fully known and fully loved by the God who created us and dwells with us every day.

Three Applications

1) Whenever you feel lonely or forsaken, God is there. He never leaves us. Sometimes that doesn’t feel like enough, because we want a physical hand to hold and arms to hug us. We need to remember that this world is just a shadow of things to come. Right now we’re living in the equivalent of a virtual reality world where things seem solid and real, but when Christ returns we’ll see what is really real—the eternal kingdom of God.

“Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2).

2) Whenever you feel misunderstood, God understands. We can’t fully empathize with what others are going through, though we try to sympathize. God not only knows what we feel but why we feel that way. When He was on earth, Jesus experienced what it’s like to be misunderstood, rejected, and forsaken.

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:15-16).

3) Our relationships here are a shadow of God’s knowledge of us. When we lose family members here, we not only lose that person from our lives, but we also lose their knowledge of us. We lose that one person who looks at us as son or daughter, brother or sister, father or mother. But in our relationship with God, that knowledge is never lost. We remain His children for eternity.

“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known” (1 Cor. 13:12).

Discussion Questions

1) What do other Scriptures tell us about God’s knowledge and power? Consider Job 38:2ff, Luke 16:15, John 2:24, 1 Corinthians 2:11, Ephesians 1:4-5, and 1 John 3:19-20.

2) In the remainder of Psalm 139, what else do we learn about God? (E.g. We can’t hide from God; God made us as we are on purpose.) How does that bring comfort and clarity to life?

3) When is it hard to remember or believe that God knows all things and is present with you? What Scriptures, songs, or relationships help you to trust God and hold onto the truth?