Completely Known, Completely Loved
- Barbara Fehr
- Aug 18
- 4 min read
“Let’s teach our children to recognize His presence in it all, His mercy in it all, and His loving hand on us in each season of our lives.”
“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. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.” Psalm 139:1-6
How often do we feel like someone knows us completely, and still likes being around us? Probably not very often. But God does. He knows everything. Even the most hidden parts of us. The most ugly and the most beautiful. He knows it all. And He still wants to be near to us and have us near to Him. What a wonderful and comforting thought it is, to realize that not only does the Father know us completely, but He also never leaves us. He “hems us in, behind and before, and lays His hand upon us.”
God knows what we’ve been through, because He goes behind us and is there. He knows what is to come, because He goes before us and is there. He knows what is going through our worlds and hearts right now, and He lays His hand of love upon us. Walking through it all with us.
I love the next part of this chapter. “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there. If I make my bed in the depths, you are there.” Psalm 139:7-8.
No matter what we are walking through, His presence is there. No matter how low we are feeling, how chaotic our lives, He is with us. When we are enjoying a lighter season, when all is well, He is with us.
For some of us, the transition from summer time to school time is one of those chaotic seasons, maybe even a season when we are feeling more anxious, low, and unsure. I want to encourage you that the promise of His presence and love is not just for you. It is for the little people in your home that you love so dearly. Mom, He loves them more. He knows them completely in a way you never will. He protects them in a way you cannot. He goes before and behind them, just as He does for you. He knows their story, their testimony, and has a plan for them. If this year at school is wonderful and filled with good teachers and good friends, praise Him for such a good gift. If this year is difficult, and friends are scarce and teachers aren’t cooperative, PRAISE HIM, because He is in this too. He has a plan and purpose for this part of the story. This testimony of His goodness matters just as much, if not more, than the lighter seasons of life.
Let’s teach our children to recognize His presence in it all, His mercy in it all, and His loving hand on us in each season of our lives. Because one day they won’t just leave our homes for a day at school, but they will leave our homes to start their own. And they need to know the God who knows them completely, who will go before and behind them, who will hem them in, and who puts His loving hand of protection upon them every step of the way.
Faith Follow-Through:
This week, take some time to grow in motherhood and faith:
Monday:
Let this truth sink in. Your children are completely known and loved.
Tuesday:
Read the full chapter of Psalm 139. David asks God to “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.” 139:23-24. If God is the only one who can know absolutely everything about us, He is the only one fully qualified to give us perfect direction and redirection. He is trustworthy. Today, pray these verses over yourself and ask God to reveal to you where He is working, and where He is calling you to trust and obey.
Wednesday:
“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go to the heavens, you are there, if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.” Psalm 139:7-8
Memorize these verses today. Teach them to your kids. I remember a time when I was so low that I didn’t feel His presence, I didn’t know what to do. But He gave me these verses as a reminder. Even when life is so hard that you can’t feel Him, He is still there. You can’t go anywhere that He is not. Write these words on your heart so that when you need them, He will remind you of His promise and presence.
Thursday:
“Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book, before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:16 He knows. He wrote it before we were even a thought to anyone else. The story that He is writing and has written matters, and our kids are a part of that story. They need to experience what He has planned to be the testimony and witness He is inviting them to be. If He loves them and knows them more, then it is okay to surrender their stories to Him. We can trust Him with what is most precious to us, because they are even more precious to Him. Surrender today, over and over again. Ask Him for help to trust and obey.
