Vol. 17 No. 30 | July 28, 2015
You have searched me, Lord,
and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
you, Lord, know it completely. (Psalm 139:1-4, NIV)
Since You are familiar with all my ways, then You know that I was rude to the lady that answered the phone and did not provide me with the information I wanted.
Since You are familiar with all my ways, then You know how irritated I was when I was sitting in that line of traffic that was not moving, and there was no apparent reason for the stoppage.
Since You are familiar with all my ways, then You know how sad I was to read about another senseless shooting in movie theater.
Since You are familiar with all my ways, then You know how hard it was to tell my family good-bye when the family reunion ended last week.
Since You are familiar with all my ways, then You know that I was rude to the man trying as hard as he could to fix our air conditioning. And You know that when he called me on my sarcasm, I felt awful and apologized profusely, and thanked him for accepting my apology and for working to help me.
Since You are familiar with all my ways, then You know when I woke up Monday morning I was expecting to a quiet and normal week. You also know how quickly that changed when I was asked to accompany our youth group on a mission trip to the City of Children in Mexico…LEAVING SATURDAY MORNING. You also know how much trouble I had shifting my thinking to accept this is obviously Your good plan for me. You also know that once I adjusted my heart to be in tune with Yours how much I am looking forward to the trip.
Since You are familiar with all my ways, then You know all the ways I have fallen short this week in living to bring glory to Your name.
Since You are familiar with all my ways, then You know thankful I am to be able to sit in an air conditioned coffee shop with a very light weight computer write this article.
Since You are familiar with all my ways, then You know that even when it is a good Friday afternoon it can be a very lonely time.
Since You are familiar with all my ways, then You know how much I miss my children and my grandchildren when I cannot be with them as often as I would like.
Since You are familiar with all my ways, then You know how amazed and thankful I am that my wife and I are approaching our 40th anniversary.
Since You are familiar with all my ways, then You know how appreciative I am that You trust me to speak for You and lead Your people on a regular basis even though You are familiar with all my ways.
Since You are familiar with all my ways, then You know, and I hope understand, how extremely disappointed I am and how discouraged I become when we, Your people, allow ourselves to be distracted from the building of the Kingdom by focusing on the trivial and mundane.
Since You are familiar with all my ways, then You know that I know that there is nothing about me that is deserving of Your love, and how that is beyond my comprehension.
Since You are familiar with all my ways, then You know that I cannot adequately express how grateful I am to be called one of Your children…especially since You are familiar with all my ways.
You, Lord, are familiar with all my ways, and yet you love me. Thank You.
Tom
A Norvell Note © Copyright 2015. Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved.