O Lord, you know us.

Better than we know ourselves.

You know all there is to know about us.

You know what we will do before we do it.

And you know why, too.

You know what we’re thinking before we think it.

You see us when we’re alone & you see us in a crowd.

You know what we are going to say before we say it.

You precede us.

You follow us.

You hold our hand.

Wow. Just wow, Lord.

It’s too wonderful to grasp.

Yet we know it’s true.

We can go nowhere that You are not.

We can try to flee from You,

and You will still be there before we arrive.

You are never absent.

Never unaware.

Never surprised.

Never inattentive.

Wherever we go,

You are there to guide us,

and Your strength will be there to support us.

Even the deepest darkness won’t separate us from You,

for You are light,

and You enlighten all things.

You even see into the most delicate, inner parts of our body–

Ou nerves,

Our cells,

Our capillaries & corpuscles.

From our mother’s womb,

You have seen us.

Thank you for making us so complex

and for knowing us so intimately!

Your workmanship is incredible, absolutely incredible.

You watched every moment as we were formed,

and monitored our every move in the seclusion of the womb.

You knew us then.

You know us now.

You’ve known us every moment in between.

Every day of our life up to now was recorded in Your book.

Every moment of our future is laid out with precision.

We are amazed that You think about us, O God.

We are finite, but Your thoughts toward us are infinite.

How is that possible?

How can that be?

We don’t understand You, God,

but we know You understand us.

We cannot grasp the “why” or “when” of Your ways.

But You chart all our ways.

Open us like a book, O God,

examine our heart & mind.

Point to anything that displeases You

and lead us where you want us to go.

Psalms 139 paraphrased