You discern my going out
and my lying down.
You are familiar with all my ways."
~Psalm 139:3
Do you have those certain friends whose moods you can gauge within the first five seconds of interacting with them? A distracted look in their eyes, a flattened tone of voice, abbreviated responses....and you know....you know their thoughts are distracted or burdened.
I have always understood that God knows my thoughts, in the omniscient way that God knows everything. But I haven't always grasped that God knows my thoughts in the way that friends know their friends: that he recognizes when pain fills my eyes or sees when I am too tired to process one more detail, that he nods in understanding when I am confused and softly whispers, "Child, you're overwhelmed," when my racing thoughts tumble one over the other.
He is familiar with my ways. He knows my weaknesses and struggles, my triggers and my responses. He compassionately guides me out of hiding when fear sends me running for seclusion. He gently directs my eyes towards the present when I instinctively revert to living from the past. He can trace back the origin of every coping mechanism and carefully place me on the path to freedom.
He knows my thoughts and my ways. Not only in the way an all-knowing God can recite the sequence of the earth's creation, but in the intimate way one glance can see inside the heart of a confidante---
as a friend knows a friend...
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