as we begin looking through Psalm 139 you will see that the "title" of this passage is 

"God's Perfect Knowledge of Man"

this means that david, the writer of this Psalm knew that the LORD knew him. He knew david inside and out, the LORD knew david better than david knew himself.  this becomes evident as we read through the rest of this Psalm, but what a great beginning ... in the knowing and being known ... this in itself is an awe inspiring thought! 

i think that to be known by someone is a common human desire. i know that i enjoy the feeling of being known. i like when rick knows when i need a hug, or a friend knows when i'm down, or someone knows just the right gift to get me! being known means you are loved and cared for by someone ... and to think, the God of the Universe, the God who created the heavens and the earth knows me ... this is almost beyond my comprehension!

according to dictionary.com, to search is to  seek carefully and thoroughly, to examine. 

when you lose something and you search for it, you may find yourself looking in the strangest places! have you ever lost something only to find it in your purse, your pockets, in the refrigerator, the freezer, the kitchen cupboards or any number of other odd places ... or maybe right where the item should be but in your panic thinking it is lost, you overlooked it in your initial search? God had searched david; He has searched us on a far deeper level than we have ever searched for anything in our own human  frailty. 

searching usually involves looking diligently and the writer of this Psalm knew that God looked at him diligently ... he searched him ... not he searched "for" him, but he searched him. to further complete this thought, david goes on to say, you have searched me and known me.

to know/be known means to be aware through observation, to have knowledge of, to be recognized or familiar with. 

in addition to being searched by the Lord, david {and we} are also known by Him.  

we cannot have secrets from Him.  

we may have secrets that we tuck away from the rest of the world, even from those we love the most, our parents, children, spouses and friends. we may have secret sins or addictions that we think nobody knows of, we may omit the full truth from others in our actions, our deeds or our words, and they may or may not find out about our deceit. 

the LORD however searches us and He knows us ... we can keep no secrets from Him. we cannot deceive Him. He searches us and He knows us.

if we are following His path for our lives and if we love and serve Him with our entire being as commanded in matthew 22:37 "you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" this verse should not cause us to be fearful, but to celebrate! 

it means that with God we are free. we are free to be completely real. we don't have to pretend to be someone we are not and we can approach Him with our fears, our failures, those sins that we think we can't share with anyone else.  we can share our deepest sorrows and are greatest joys ... because He has created us. He has searched us. He has known us!

dear Lord, as we begin this study of Psalm 139 i pray that i would be open to your searching and knowing me. help me to open my heart to you and to be thankful for being searched and known. remind me each day that i cannot hide from you, that i can keep no secrets from you. help me to seek each day to live according to Your will and Your plan for my life. thank You that You know me and that i can run to You with every joy and every sorrow, every tragedy and every triumph. thank You for loving me enough to search me and know me. amen.

does this first verse of Psalm 139 give you peace or does it cause you to be a little uneasy? search your own heart today. prepare your heart to receive Him if you haven't! if you have stumbled upon this and have no idea what i'm talking about, or want to know more, please connect with me in a comment or through the "connect with me" link in the right side bar. i'd love to share more with you!