Are you looking high enough for connection? You know that wonderful feeling of finding someone with your same interests, passions or thinking?
“She gets me,” you say.
Or “he knows exactly where I’m coming from.”
You meet them in a conference gathered within the same interests, or group, church or school. You look for them on the internet and follow their lives. You read their books, watch their films, and try their recipes. You picture them on Instagram and retweet their tweets.
We enjoy the process of likeminded interests, thoughts and actions.
The Psalmist in Psalm 139 makes a beautifully penned picture of a God who gets us.
He knit us together in our mother’s womb.
He knows when we get up and lie down.
He knows what we will say before we do.
He’s acquainted with all our ways.
“You have encircled me; you have placed your hand on me.” Ps. 139:5 CSB
He definitely gets us.
Like many of you I’ve walked with Jesus a long time but in spite of how well He gets me, I still don’t get Him. Why does He allow certain things to happen? How He works is mysterious to me. What requests He answers, and which ones He doesn’t, affairs of the world and affairs of the heart, where is He in all of it?
And even though I grow in understanding, the more I know, the more there is to know. The greater my view and bigger the panorama, I find there is so much more I truly don’t get.
He is not wrapped up tidy and neat in my mind. But the more He breaks from my controlled pieces of who I imagine Him to be, the more of Him I know from Scripture, the vaster He becomes. It leaves me with the knowledge that I’ve only had glimpses.“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways.”
This is the Lord’s declaration. “For as heaven is higher than earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9 CSB
Before Isaiah wrote that verse, he saw the Lord in a vision, sitting on His throne high and lifted up. His train filled the temple.
Higher. He saw God higher.
This is where my eyes must look, this is the position my heart must take. How interesting it is, that Someone who gets us so very well, who understands every fiber in our bodies, is the God we often want to lower, so He can understand us.
We expect Him to think like us, react the same way, and respond as we would.
When I look higher, when I raise my eyes above the obvious stuff in my vision, I see He has encircled me; He has placed His hand on me.
And then I remember, He gets me completely. He cares.
There is comfort in recognizing His bar is raised far above what I can ever conceive. Trust grows when I look higher.
His ways. My ways.
His thoughts. My thoughts.
“God, how precious your thoughts are to me; how vast their sum is!
If I counted them, they would outnumber the grains of sand; when I wake up, I am still with you.” Psalm 139:17-18 CSB
J.D. Wininger
Love this post Ms. Sylvia. I have a sign that shows up on my computer’s desktop every now and again. It reads, “The more I learn about God, the less I know.” Isn’t it wonderful when we come to a place in our journey of faith that we can accept that we can’t know what God knows while we’re human. Faith in God is meant to be an ever-expanding wealth of knowledge and understanding. Thank you for this great post!
Sylvia Schroeder
Thanks J.D. I love your line, “Faith in God is meant to be an ever-expanding wealth of knowledge and understanding.” Well that said what a whole post meant. Thanks!
Susan Kroeker
Since Psalm 139 is a favorite of mine, this definitely caught my eye and I really appreciated the idea of looking higher! Im wondering which grandchildren are jumping “higher” in Phil’s picture? See you soon!!
Sylvia Schroeder
Susan, Psalm 139 is one of my favorites too. Thanks so much for taking the time to read and respond. Actually, it was not a picture of grandkids, but it was a picture Phil took of two friends! Looking forward to another big day coming up!!
Marianne
My best friend Karen meets this criteria for me. And it’s nice to think that God gets me.
Sylvia Schroeder
Grateful for good friendships. But, yes, it is amazing to think how God really does get us! Thanks for reading and I love hearing from you!
Don Pahl
So true, Sylvia. Thank you.
The universe is just not about me, about us. Everything is all about Him! I cherish the Sovereignty of God. But without His kindness, His Sovereignty would be a thing to fear.
Sylvia Schroeder
Don, thanks so much for that encouragement. I’m so grateful He is a kind Sovereign. Appreciate the read and comment!
Rebecca Powell
Thank you , Sylvia, for your encouraging blog. We walk by faith daily, knowing the best is yet to come.
1 Corinthians 13:12
“For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.”
Sylvia Schroeder
What a great verse to add perspective! “even as also I am known.” 1 Cor. 13:12 is a wonderful reminder our vision will be clear one day. Thanks!
Marilyn Nutter
When my daughter had surgery at age 4, God reminded me in Psalm 139 that He knew every detail of the situation, when I did not. This was a timely post as that girl just had her 47th birthday. Psalm 139 remains a comfort to me- thanks for sharing your thoughts on it
Sylvia Schroeder
Thank you Marilyn. Isn’t it so sweet of the Lord to give us those reminders of His past faithfulness. Happy Birthday to your daughter and I am grateful with you for God’s gracious kindness of long ago. Thanks Marilyn!