Kingdom Building

September 4, 2019

Scripture Reading: Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18

O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
   you discern my thoughts from far away.
You search out my path and my lying down,
   and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
   O Lord, you know it completely.
You hem me in, behind and before,
   and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
   it is so high that I cannot attain it. –Psalm 139:1-6

I think the Psalmist is suggesting that God knows me better than I know myself. Which leads me to the conclusion that if I am to be fully the person God created me to be, I need to get in better synch with the One who knows me best. I will confess I have known what I wanted to say but should not say but say anyway and then regret the saying. Guard my tongue O, Lord* is a routine prayer. Is the Psalmist telling us we need to reach higher and know ourselves better so that we can avoid the pitfalls of life rather than recover from stepping into them?

I learned the answer to these questions as a small child, singing the song The Wise Man and the Foolish Man. Of course, we children sang it with repetition and hand motions, but the gist of the song is

The wise man built his house upon the Rock,
And the rains came tumbling down.
But the house on the Rock stood firm.

The foolish man built his house upon the sand,
And the rains came tumbling down.
And the house on the sand fell flat.

So build your life on the Lord Jesus Christ,
And the blessings will come down.
So build your life on the Lord.

Prayer: Creator of all, help us be like the little child who understands that Jesus is a model upon whom we can build our lives and Jesus spent much time communing with you. Amen.

*See Psalm 141:3

By Ann Omley based on Matthew 7:24-27; Luke 6:46-49 see at https://library.timelesstruths.org/music/The_Wise_Man_and_the_Foolish_Man/

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.