Everything I Do

We are journeying verse by verse through Psalm 139. To read last week’s reflection, click here.

O LORD, you examine me and know me.

You know when I sit down and when I get up;

even from far away you understand my motives.

You carefully observe me when I travel or when I lie down to rest;

you are aware of everything I do.

 

Psalm 139:3

Trauma can disrupt our confidence in well-laid plans. We’ve noticed in our family that ever since the fire that changed all our lives in November of 2019, we hover and hesitate when people ask us our plans.

Will you be at the wedding?

I think so!

(What I mean is yes, I want to, and I’ll buy the airline ticket, but maybe not until a few weeks before the wedding, because you never know what might happen… yes, I plan to be there. But you never know… I want to be there…I mean, I will be there.)

The truth is, sometimes things happen that disrupt our lives, scattering our plans to the wind. James cautioned us,

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into this or that town and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.” You do not know about tomorrow. What is your life like? For you are a puff of smoke that appears for a short time and then vanishes. You ought to say instead, “If the Lord is willing, then we will live and do this or that.”

James 4:13-15

This message is hitting home even as I bang the keyboard today. My husband and I flew to one country, careful ministry plans in hand, only to receive news of the death of a family member. Tomorrow we’ll cut our trip short and fly West. I didn’t sleep much last night with the worry of it all.

But the Lord carefully observes me when I travel or when I lie down to rest; He is aware of everything I do. His compassion is tangible, and His constancy is steadying. He is the helper by my side as I repack, and He’s my rear guard watching over anything I might forget. He knows my anxious thoughts and invites me to heave them all on Him. He commissions Peace to stand guard around my mind. He cares for me and you.

I can bring Him everything unexpected and unexplained. I can choose to pause in the tumult and lift my eyes to His. Our eyes lock, and I am steadied. Ready for anything.

Lord, lead me in Your will, whether I am traveling or resting. Let this bring me peace in all circumstances. Amen.

@audreycfrank

Photo by Robert Kubíček on Unsplash