St. Augustine said, "God loves each one of us as though there were only one of us to love."

O Lord, you have searched me and you know me.
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
You perceive my thoughts from afar.
You scrutinize my path (my going out) and my lying down, and you are intimately acquainted with all my ways.
Even before there is a word on my tongue, you know it completely, O Lord
You hem me in - behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is too lofty for me to attain.
Where can I go from your Spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn; if I settle on the far side of the sea,
Even there your hand will guide me, and your right hand will lay hold of me.
If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me, and the light become night around me,"
even the darkness is not dark to you, and the night is as bright as 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 for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works wonderful are wonderful, and 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 that were ordained for me, were written in your book before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!
If I should count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake, I am still with you.
If only you would slay the wicked, O God! Away from me you blood thirsty men.
For they speak of you with evil intent; and your enemies take your name in vain.
Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?
I hate them with the utmost hatred; they have become my enemies.
Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me (test me) and know my anxious thoughts;
See if there be any offensive (hurtful) way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.

Commentary by Hope MacDonald on Psalm 139 ~

I believe this is one of the most personal passages in all of Scripture. It is about God's continual, active presence with me wherever I go, day or night. 'Christ in me' means that God knows everything about me.

He knows when I sit down and when I stand up. He knows my name (Isaiah 43:1). He knows how many hairs on my head (Luke 12:7). He knows my words completely, even before they are spoken. In fact, He saw me when I was being formed in my mother's womb. He was there, knitting me together! Indeed, such knowledge is too wonderful, too lofty for any of us to fully comprehend.

Not only do we learn about God's eternal presence with us every moment, but we also get a tiny glimpse into the absolute holiness of God and His unconditional love for us. We are reminded that God knows and understands us better than anyone else ever will. His love for us is everlasting and personal.

St. Augustine said, "God loves each one of us as though there were only one of us to love." What a treasure this truth is. Because of it, we can live in the certainty that His grace is sufficient for us today, regardless of our circumstances. We are bonded together in love. His spirit is at work within us, making us more like Jesus with each passing day. We are each an everlasting child of God.

Who is God?

Guidelines For Prayer ~