As I continued another week in the Psalms, I was reminded … I can rest in His promises because He knows entirely.
Entirely, according to dictionary.com means, “wholly or fully; completely or unreservedly; solely or exclusively; totally, thoroughly”. In other words, there is not a single thing He does not know about each one of us.
- Psalm 23. Such a familiar psalm. Maybe so familiar, we can miss seeing something new … “Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life.” (verse 6) The word “pursue” means “to follow with the intent of overtaking”(sorry, I do not remember where I got that definition as I had written it in the margin on my Bible). But I love that thought. He doesn’t follow us to spy on us or to hit us on the head when we’ve done wrong. No, He loves us with the intent of overtaking us with His goodness and His love. Everything He does for us – is. for. our. own. good.
- Psalm 56. “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.” (verse 8) All our tears, ALL, like in – every single one – are seen and stored by God. May we realize how much we mean to Him. Can we even imagine one day seeing the collection of our tears saved by our God? I think only then will we be able to grasp how deeply He is concerned for us.
- Psalm 103. “Let all that I am praise the Lord, with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.” (verse 1) We are to praise Him with our whole heart. I found myself asking, What does that mean? What is that to look like? “Authentic praise means being occupied with God”, according to my commentary. Does He weave in and out of our thoughts throughout the day? Do we talk to Him as we go about doing what we must? Matthew Henry writes: “Be not afraid of saying too much in the praises of God; all the danger is of saying too little.”
- Psalm 139. “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” (verses 23-24) To think He loves u,s even knowing all that is and was and will be in our heart which offends Him, is just too amazing for me to grasp. His is a love which will never turn from us.
- Psalm 144. “Praise the Lord, who is my rock. He trains my hands for war and gives my fingers skill for battle. He is my loving ally and my fortress, my tower of safety, my rescuer.” (verses 1-2) What battle are you facing? May we realize God prepares us and comes along side of us in the battle. He is our “loving ally” (NLT). God aligns Himself with us, associating Himself with each one of us IN our battles or struggles. He has given us the training and skills needed to beat the battle. He is our rock which keeps us steady when fears arise telling us otherwise. My commentary shared this quote, “There can be no victory where there is no combat.” (Richard Sibbes) Just because there is a battle does not mean there will be no victory.
May we remember Who our Ally is. God stands WITH us and IN us!
Today I am joining … #SmallWonder and Create With Joy and Making Your Home Sing and Sharing His Beauty and Inspire Me Mondays and Playdates With God .
Thank you, Jo for posting “Entirely”. I want to remind myself and others of this every day. What powerful, awesome love.
Mare, I think at times, because our own view is so limited, we forget He knows entirely – the beginning from the end. And we forget He is our ally. So need to remind myself of this, often.
What a great reminder that we are never, ever alone in any battle. God is with us, and as you’ve reminded us, in us, taking care of us in just the way we need!
Yes, Carol. He takes care of us just the way we need. Always. Now to remember this at all times 🙂 that is my challenge!
This post was so encouraging! I especially was encouraged when you shared the following commentary quote: “There can be no victory where there is no combat.” (Richard Sibbes) Just because there is a battle does not mean there will be no victory.
Thanks for sharing!
Karen, I loved that quote when I read it. I think many times we think once there is combat, we must not be in God’s will. It may be that we are right where we should be & need to fight. Learning that myself 🙂
These are just beautiful, Joanne! He’s captured a lot of my tears in the past few weeks ;). I especially love how he pursues us–not to spy on us, but because he loves us. I totally understand that concept now!.
It is an amazing thought that God pursues us, to be with us, out of sheer love. No other reason. No expectations. Just to love on us.
Great post! Psalm 30 has become one of my fave Psalms as well. “Weeping may come for the night but joy comes with the morning.”
It is amazing how every emotion we experience is expressed in the psalms. Such encouragement to be found there.
This is so good! I especially like your commentary on Psalm 23. I never read it that way. Now I’m praying that God will overtake me with His goodness and unfailing love. Thanks for the encouragement today.
Yes! May He overtake each of us with His goodness & unfailing love. So glad you were encouraged & that you stopped here. Blessings!
After all these years, I’m still trying to dwell in the truth of being pursued and overtaken by God’s unfailing love. Thankfully, it happens, with or without our ability to grasp it or fully give ourselves to it. This love, I’m convinced, pursues all of us until we are whole and healed. Thank you for sharing with Small Wonder.
This is beautiful > “This love, I’m convinced, pursues all of us until we are whole and healed.” Grateful you shared, Amber. May you & yours have a blessed Easter!