Topic: Touch of Heaven. Psalm 139. Category: Know God> Experience God>
Bible Scriptures: Psalm 139.
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Today we are going to journey through a Psalm that is believed to be written by David, the shepherd boy who became king. Through the highs and lows of David’s turbulent life, in the midst of all his stuff of his flesh, David knew that there was one constant. He knew that he could trust in God.
David also had a revelation for his need for a saviour and knew that he couldn’t trust in himself.
So before we begin going through a Psalm written by David, we need to know and understand that the Psalms are humanity’s expression to God. As such they are rich in emotion and rawness and reveal the highs and lows of this life.
The Psalms are books of poetry and are constructed with a rhythm and pattern that reflects the writer’s culture and life experience. As they are poetry, a Psalm needs to be read in its entirety.
They were written at a time when the Ancient Israelites had chosen the violent ways of the surrounding nations. They wanted to be ruled by a person instead of God.
As the various writer’s express themselves to God they consist of a revelation of God. They are considered part of God’s love story the Bible and therefore formed an important part in the worship of God, throughout the ages.
So keeping all this in mind, as we look through the writer’s eyes, in this instance David, may we receive a touch of heaven.
touch of heaven on earth
Psalms 139
O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it.
Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,” Even the night shall be light about me;
Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You.
touch of heaven in how we are made
For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb.
I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.
How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!
If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;
When I awake, I am still with You. Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God!
Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men. For they speak against You wickedly;
Your enemies take Your name in vain. Do I not hate them, O LORD, who hate You?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies.
Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties;
And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.
God’s desire for relationship
This Psalm describes in practical terms how close God wants to be with us. He desires a relationship with us on the deepest level of intimacy and love. He brings a touch of heaven to us. For not only does God love each one, but He is love. A perfect unconditional love that never fails us.
As the Psalmist expresses his thoughts, we come to realise the heart of God and His deep love for us.
According to the Psalmist, God searches us and knows us better than we even know ourselves. His loving eye is always on us. The Psalmist expresses this so beautifully.
You know my sitting down and my rising up… How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You.
I can imagine God waiting for us to open our eyes after sleeping, just for us to be with Him.
God not only desires to be with us and us with Him, but He understands us. He knows our path, our past, present and future, for He knows all things. The Psalmist states to God that God is acquainted with all his way
He states that God listens to all that we say. God loves for us to interact with Him, converse with Him, ask questions, express how we feel and listen to Him. For that is exactly what the Psalmist is doing.
It’s so amazing to think that the Eternal One who created the heavens and the earth, wants to part of our every day.
close to the divine
The Psalmist states that God has laid His hand upon him. It is clear that He has received a touch of heaven. He’s been so close to the divine, that He is able to listen to the heartbeat of God. Nestle into His chest and know and experience His great love and gentleness, intimately and personally.
The Psalmist knows this is not a result of anything he has done, but this personal touch is because God desires for us to be close to Him. Knowing this he exclaims that God and His love is too wonderful to comprehend.
A touch of heaven is a gift from God. The gift of Himself.
Even through the wrong choices, the Psalmist knows that God is there, continually pursuing in love. Even if he wanted to flee from God’s presence, he knows that God still loves him and will continue to pursue him.
For the Psalmist knows of the scriptures and how back in the beginning when the first man and woman chose to be one with both good and evil, as a result felt shame and fled from God’s presence. The Psalmist would also know how God not only pursued the first man and woman in love, but He personally stitched clothing for them and covered their shame. He did all that, because He so loves, enabling them to be comfortable in His presence.
God is there
Wherever we are, God is there. Not only is He there in every environment and circumstance, but according to the Psalmist, He holds us in His right hand.
In the culture at the time of writing, the right hand was symbolic of strength, power and authority. For it is true that God is gentle and kind, and holds us in the palm of His beautiful hands. For a deeper revelation of this please listen to our jesus loves : the world podcast titled ‘Held in His Nail Pierced Hands.’
The Psalmist continues to express his revelation of the awe and wonder of God.
He states, If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,” Even the night shall be light about me; Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You.
God sees into the darkness and the darkness cannot hide from Him. God is there even in the darkest of places, pursing in love. In fact He steps down into our darkness and shines His glorious light.
The Psalmist also has a wonderful awareness of the love and care God used in making humanity. He expresses it this way. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
We have been created in an intimate way to know our creator.
God created humanity out of love, to be able to receive His love and in His love, be able to love Him. That is how much God desires us. God has no need for anything or anyone for He is the supreme being, self-existing, eternal one who created heaven and earth and all things good.
God brings the touch of heaven
The more we discover about the human body, the more we realise as the Psalmist said, we are fearfully and wonderfully made.
Out of this wonderful revelation of the truth about God, the Psalmist response is that in thanksgiving he will praise God. The Psalmist declares to God, ‘Marvelous are Your works.’ He knew that God is always working bringing a touch of heaven to us. God touches us with His presence. Bringing healing and wholeness, salvation and revelation, love and intimacy, destiny and purpose. His Spirit is always there with us and is intimate and personal.
Then the Psalmist turns to the violent world around him and expresses his anger to God. The Psalmist tells God that he hates those who hate God. Yet He knows that deep within his own heart there is wickedness. He knows the deceptions and lusts of his own heart and given the majority of the Psalm, knows that God knows them too.
Yet God still desires to be with him, intimate and relational. The Psalmist too desires to be intimate and relational with God. So he emotionally pleads to God to lead him in the way of everlasting.
He asks God to search and examine his heart, to know his heart, try his thoughts and for God to take away any wickedness that is in him.
What the Psalmist is revealing is he who is the one who needs to know what God already knows about him.
heart of God
So he wants God to search out anything that is within him, that may cause him to not be intimate with God.
He pleads that whatever it is in him that could block him from receiving God’s love that is always there for him, may God illuminate it and eliminate it from his heart.
The Psalmist wants to be led home to the heart of God.
This is God’s heart desire also. He wants us to truly free. Free to be intimate with Him, walk with Him, be led by Him in the way of everlasting.
We can pour out our emotions to God without any fear. In surrendering them back to God, we are able to receive more of His peace, healing, love and joy in any situation.
God is ever so near to us. We are the continual object of His thoughts and love. As we allow God to be intimate with us, go deep into our hearts and minds, He transforms us. Safe and secure in His presence, overwhelmed by His unending love, journeying throughout this life, held in the palm of His hands.
Intimacy with God is a touch of heaven.
Sermon categories: son of man> love of God> hope and healing> know God> truth> power> end times> experience God> life> success in life> kingdom>
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