Although I know intellectually that God is with me always, there are times when I feel unseen and alone. This is especially true when my circ*mstances overwhelm me with anxiety and grief. In those seasons, my heart needs the unchanging truths of Christ to expel the lies attempting to take root in my soul. I find particular solace in the raw, honest, yet hopeful prayers penned by David, ancient Israel’s second king. His words, which often stemmed from deep anguish, draw me closer to my Savior and help me rest in His strong embrace. While David suffered greatly, he also rested deeply in God’s love, reminding himself on numerous occasions that the Lord Almighty saw him, knew him, and would never leave or abandon him.
Some of his most beautiful declarations come from Psalm 139, a prose that begins with an expression of intimacy. In verses 1-3, he wrote:
“You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways” (NIV).
God knows when we are resting, engaging in leisure, or attending to important matters. He’s acquainted with our emotional triggers, those situations most apt to grieve us, and all the things that make us laugh. He’s alert to our greatest weaknesses and our every flaw.
Such complete knowledge might’ve elicited apprehension had David not been utterly convinced of God’s goodness. Assured of his Father’s inexhaustible mercy, David approached the Lord without pretense, fear, or shame and received comfort from this innermost connection.
While others had betrayed, rejected, and abandoned him, God had drawn him close (Psalm 27:10). “You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me,” he wrote (Psalm 139:5). The first phrase evokes an image of a child enveloped in her daddy’s embrace. The second reminds me of how I was with my daughter when she was first learning to walk. When she ceased clasping her pudgy fingers around my thumb, I began placing my palm on her head to gently direct her from potential danger.
God does the same, figuratively, with us. Wherever we go, and in whatever activity we engage, God remains. As some translations read, He “hedges” us in. David Guzik from the Enduring Word reminds us that this denotes protection. The Lord surrounds us on every side; nothing can reach us without God’s permission. What’s more, we can trust Him to work whatever challenges He does allow for our good (Rom. 8:28).
God's Direction
In verses 7-8, which are true for us as well, we read:
“Where can I go from your Spirit?Where can I fleefrom your presence?If I go up to the heavens,you are there;if I make my bedin the depths, you are there” (NIV).
The Father stayed as engaged as He was present. Verses 9-10 state:
“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, your right hand will hold me fast” (NIV, emphasis mine).
David conveyed a similar sentiment in Psalm 16:7, which states, “I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me” (NIV).
Notice that he didn’t say, “When I seek Your will, You lead me.” While David did routinely ask for God’s direction, these verses and others in Scripture indicate that, again, like an attentive parent, the Lord faithfully leads His children—whether or not they’re alert to His hand.
And, as Psalm 139:10 promises, His mighty hand always holds us fast. This means, no matter how vicious the storm rages around us, we stand secure within His grip. In John 10:28-29, Jesus phrased it this way:
"I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand” (NIV, emphasis mine).
At all times, and in all things, the Lord retains full control. Therefore, we can trust, no matter how overwhelmed we feel, in Him, we won’t be crushed. We belong to the all-powerful, victorious Savior who conquered death that we might not just survive today’s difficulties, but thrive in the midst of them (John 10:10).
In dark and frightening circ*mstances, we might temporarily lose our ability to see. This feels even more unsettling if we feel unseen, but Psalm 139:11-12 promises that is never the case. David wrote, "If I say, 'Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,' even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you” (NIV).
God’s love shines into the deepest shadows in our souls, illuminating every hidden and wounded crevice. As John 1:5 states, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not” –and cannot—“overcome it” (NIV).
In fact, according to Romans 5, our difficulties, when entrusted to Christ, can lead to increased perseverance, growth in character, and deeper hope. While I’m not certain precisely how this works, I suspect much of this comes from our increased dependency on and connection with our Savior. When we reach that place in which we fear our legs will soon give way, we turn to Jesus for renewed strength—and receive precisely what we seek.
In that place, we’re also better able to hear His voice as it speaks peace, confidence, and freedom into our weary souls. When insecurity tries to steal our voice or freeze our steps, may David’s words remind us that God crafted us according to His brilliance, for His good intentions, and is leading us toward a hope-filled future.
I’ll be discussing the relationship between suffering and hope with Dr. Curt Thompson in an upcoming Faith Over Fear episode, scheduled to drop on July 9th. If you’re currently going through a challenging time, I encourage you to listen.
God's Handiwork
When our daughter was in college, pushing through learning disabilities in pursuit of a challenging degree at a university that often disregarded student accommodations, I received great comfort in two related verses. The first, Psalm 139:16, states, “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (NIV). The second, Ephesians 2:10, conveys a similar message: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (NIV, emphasis mine).
Both promises reminded me that God had good plans for our daughter and that He’d already accounted for her struggle. Therefore, so long as she sought to follow His lead, He’d direct her steps and would provide all she needed to accomplish all He’d assigned. And He did. Although her educational journey was far from easy, she earned a biosystems engineering degree and has been happily employed in her field for four years. What’s more, God used that exhausting experience to build her character and grit.
I’m grateful God provided so many hope-filled passages such as Psalm 139 upon which we can reflect when our hearts feel heavy, our souls burdened, and our world chaotic. Through words such as those penned by David, our Lord reminds us that we’ll never endure a moment alone. The Almighty, our Father, goes before us, walks beside us, stands behind us, and places His loving hand upon us. Therefore, we can advance with confidence, even on the most uncertain and foggy roads, knowing that our Father will faithfully guide our every step. While this might not eliminate our pain, these truths will certainly make them much easier to bear.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Grace Cary
Jennifer Slattery is a writer and speaker who hosts the Faith Over Fear podcast. She’s addressed women’s groups, Bible studies, and writers across the nation. She’s the author of Building a Family and numerous other titles and maintains a devotional blog at JenniferSlatteryLivesOutLoud.com.
As the founder of Wholly Loved Ministries, she’s passionate about helping women experience Christ’s freedom in all areas of their lives. Visit her online to learn more about her speaking or to book her for your next women’s event and sign up for her free quarterly newsletter HERE and make sure to connect with her on Facebook and Instagram.
