Listen: Chris Witts presents Morning Devotions.
By Chris WittsWednesday 8 Dec 2021Morning Devotions with Chris WittsDevotionsReading Time: 4 minutes
In Part 1, I told the story of Henry Ford, who invented of course the Model T Ford, one of the most successful cars. Sold since 1908, 16.5 millions of this car were produced.
[I told] The story of the guy, a young fellow, whose Model T broke down. This old man came across and he knew what to do. How come you know what to do? Well, he said, it’s easy: I created this car. And it reminded me that when we know the creator, it makes all the difference.
This creator God knows you and me personally. Amazing. He has created the stars and the sun, and He created us. Yet he knows everything about us.
A God who knows me deeply and personally, a God who is acquainted with my thoughts, a God who speaks my language and anticipates my words. This is a God who knows me better than I know myself. I don’t know what I am going to say before I say it. I don’t know what my thoughts are going to be tomorrow. But God does. He knows not only my thoughts but my ways; he knows the paths I travel.
Up close and personal
God is close up and personal. You can’t run away from him. He knows exactly what you are going through and where you are hurting. He sees you and cares for you, there’s no detail in your life he’s not interested in, He knows everything about you.
In this Psalm 139, David says not only is God with him wherever he goes, but God is also guiding him. Verse 10 says: “Even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.”
How we think about this overall picture depends upon whether we understand God to be dealing with us as a friend or a foe. If the policeman lays his hand on you to apprehend you, there is little comfort in that touch. You would feel very different if the hand that rested on your shoulder was that of a friend or your son or daughter.
If you are about to slip on the ice, the strong grip of someone who holds you fast is reassuring. But if your intent is to flee, you would feel about that grip the way a prisoner does his shackles. You would hate it; you would strain against it.
David makes it clear: we are transparent before God. There is no way to cover ourselves. We can’t run. We can’t hide. We can’t put up a smokescreen that obscures the true state of our heart or our actions. God sees everything with complete clarity. You may be able fool your neighbour. You can even deceive yourself. But God? He sees you coming and going—and for good reason. He isn’t just some heavenly spectator to the drama of your life. He is the author.
“We are the only creatures to whom God speaks, and to whom God listens.” Walter Brueggemann
Creator, Redeemer and Architect
The good news for today is that the God who is your creator is also your redeemer. It’s he who knows you inside and out, the God who sees you coming and going. He is the architect of your soul, and the architect of your salvation.
He is the God who became flesh and dwelt among us in the person of Jesus Christ. He is the one who shed his blood. Your creator is also your redeemer—Jesus Christ: the only one who saves us from our sin.
Walter Brueggemann, a Christian author, notes that we are the only creatures to whom God speaks, and to whom God listens. Intimate friendship and companionship exist with God through Jesus, God’s Son, “who is the image of the invisible God!” (Colossians 1:15) This is the grand news of new life and hope!
He has all the time in the world for you
The resurrected Christ who died once for our sins makes all things new! What this means is that we have a future! You and I are not disposable, but loved eternally.
God knows you intimately. He knows every small problem you are worried about and every single burden you have. And when you approach him for help, he has all the time for you as if no one else exists. That is how valuable you are to him and how absorbed he is in you!
Psalm 33:14-15 says “The Lord gazes down upon mankind from heaven where He lives. He has made their hearts and closely watches everything they do”.