Wholly Known by the Holy One

Read: Psalm 139:1-6

Time sensitive material. Open immediately. That was what the piece of mail said, and it was addressed to my husband. Since he is in heaven, I decided to open the correspondence. It offered movies on demand, and I unceremoniously sent it to the trash. One thing is certain. That company neither knew my husband nor do they have any knowledge concerning me. Not an uncommon thing for any of us, is it? That brings me to the main thought I have for today. Something I have wanted to write about for quite some time, and it sprang out of the lyrics of a song. The thoughts began to roll around in my mind when I first heard the Statler Brothers song, "More Than Just a Name on a Wall." The lyrics say:

I saw her from a distance

As she walked up to the wall

in her hand she held some flowers

as her tears began to fall

and she took out pen and paper

as to trace her memories

and she looked up to heaven

and the words she said were these...

She said Lord my boy was special,

and he meant so much to me

and Oh, I'd love to see him

just one more time you see

All I have are the memories

and the moments to recall

So Lord could you tell him,

He's more than a name on a wall.

May I begin by saying that I am thankful for each one whose name is on that wall! We are thankful to live in a town with many veterans, and we appreciate your service.

I do love the words to that song because they speak of what is a universal desire. To be known. Don't each of us want to know that we're not merely a name in a book or in a ledger or on a wall? Don't we also want our loved ones to know that their lives matter and that someone knows them? We long for the knowledge that we are seen and known. This is a desire that we have from our earliest years when we wanted mom or dad to watch us complete some magnificent feat. To discover that we are known is precious truth for each of us, especially in a world that often swallows up people and pretends that they can be duplicated by AI; yet that we are not unseen is everywhere sprinkled throughout the scriptures. It is the reason that Jesus came to earth. Because individual people are precious. So precious that He willingly laid down His life, John 10:18, but let's not stop there.

Let's dig into another scripture to see that God truly knows us, Psalm 139:1-6. Right away, the psalmist reminds us that God is close. He has searched us and known us. He isn't in a galaxy far, far away, and His knowledge is a reminder of how much He cares for us. Imagine being both known completely and also fully loved by God. That is how it is when we are God's children who have been cleansed from every sin, Hebrews 8:12.

He knows when our hearts have good motives and when they don't, and our rewards will be based on His knowledge, 2 Corinthians 5:10. God knows the worst things about us, but He does not withdraw His love. He knows the times we have tried and failed, but He doesn't reject us. There is no fear that God will discover some hidden thing in our lives because there is nothing that He doesn't already know about His own, John 1:11-12. He doesn't love us from a distance. He is with us and He will never abandon us, Hebrews 13:5. He even knows the tiny insignificant details about us. Our standing and sitting down. What we have said and what we will say next. Then there are our thoughts. He knows each one. Those that are good and those that are not. Yes, we are fully known, but because of the blood of Jesus, we are thoroughly cleansed. Not rejected by the Holy One if we have His all-encompassing forgiveness and cleansing, 1 John 1:7. Being known by the Savior is also being hedged in by Him. Since He knows us, He knows how to protect us and keep us from temptations that are too strong for us, 1 Corinthians 10:13. Only One Who knows us so completely knows how to do that. I wonder how many traps and snares I have avoided because the Lord kept me away from them when I didn't even know it. Just like a parent who doesn't give his child a job he isn't yet ready to take on. I love the reminder of this truth in Exodus. There we read that God led His people the long way. Why? Because Exodus 13:17 says that they might want to go back to Egypt if they faced the Philistines in war. God knew His people, and He knows us too. The verses in the first part of Psalm 139 go on to say that God lays His hand on His people. A picture of relationship. Like the touch of a parent. When He expounds on the truth that He knows us, He is not spewing out facts but speaking of the sweet knowledge of our relationship with Him. The psalmist says in Psalm 34:18 that God is close to those whose hearts are broken. He surely knows those in that condition and has provision for them. No wonder, David the author of Psalm 139 said that these truths were too wonderful for him! He could not fully comprehend such knowledge. Yet, like us, He could enjoy what he did understand about being known in such an intimate way. When it seems that no one can figure us out, we have a Savior Who can. Sometimes, we can't even comprehend ourselves, but how good it is that God's knowledge of us is greater than our own understanding.

Is there anything nicer than being fully known and accepted. Oh yes, other scriptures tell us that God does not condemn us, Romans 8:1; even so, He also knows how to help us grow and change, Romans 8:29. He deals with us individually like the best parent does. And the list can go on and on. Proofs that we are wholly known by the Holy One.