The privilege of knowing someone well

Psalm 139. There are many songs that go with that psalm. There is not one more, there are many. You will remember that last Wednesday I was talking about our friendship with God, right? How to develop a solid, strong friendship with God, a friendship in which we are nourished for ourselves so that we can also have healthy friendships with other people around us.

And based on that reflection that I had on Wednesday, I could say that this is, not part number 4, but that it is a new reflection that comes out of there. And I would like to start by talking about a movie, for you who don't watch movies, I'm sure you don't watch movies, I'm the only sinner here who watches movies. That box of the devil.

Look, there's a movie that I don't know how many of you have seen that starred Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt, a movie called “What women want” (What women want) I don't know if you've seen that movie. Okay. For those of you who don't know, it's a comedy movie, a comedy, but for those of you who don't know, the plot of that movie is about this man, Mel Gibson, who obviously grew up in a bit of a womanizing background, if you will, and the man he had women on every corner. And he at one point is given what I would say a gift, and it is the gift of being able to listen to what the women around him think. he can hear women's thoughts.

And as the movie progresses he gets so overwhelmed and so overwhelmed, when he starts hearing all the thoughts from the women around him that the man thought he was going crazy. And she ends up going to a psychologist and the psychologist tells her, "No, what you have is a gift, to be able to listen to what a woman thinks and to be able to know her needs like no other person can."

And the thing is that he, as they say, begins to use it to his advantage and begins to get away with it, until he comes across a woman who really made him reflect and say, wait, I'm doing things wrong. And yet, just as he was already getting his life back on track, that gift was taken away from him. So, it was a momentary gift.

But I tell myself, my brothers, men I ask you men, and dare by show of hands. Furthermore, let me start with the women. Men, how many of you would like to know what a woman thinks? I half raise her hand, half raise her. Women, how many of you would like to know what a man thinks or how a man thinks? There are some who can stand up and shout amen, Hallelujah!

But look, be careful what you ask for, okay? Because I believe that both minds are dangerous, so to speak. And do you know why I use this illustration? This illustration came from this meditation on this psalm 139. And you are going to say, Pastor Omar, how is it that you think of a movie like this while reading that psalm? It's like one doesn't add up to the other.

But look at this, look at how Psalm 139 says.

O Lord, you have examined me and you have known me, you have known my sitting down and my rising up, you have understood my thoughts from afar. You have scrutinized my walk and my rest, and all my ways are known to you. Look at this, because the word is not yet in my language and behold, oh Jehovah, you already know everything.

Let me leave it there for now. I'll follow the rest right now. Now, but I ask you, since here you are obviously exalting the fact that God knows us like an X-ray, do you think that God is overwhelmed by knowing what we think? No, obviously not. wow, if God was overwhelmed with what we thought. Oh my gosh, that would be dangerous. I don't want God to get overwhelmed.

Imagine, if it's me in a week and maybe, let's say I can listen to 3, 4 people in a day, and I walk out in a daze after listening to 4 people. That's me, imagine God who listens, how many millions of voices and thoughts of people around the entire world. He doesn't get overwhelmed. He can much more than us.

Although I imagine that he will say, like oh, look at what he's thinking about, or look at what he's thinking about. But look, my brothers, there is something very particular that I want to share in the few minutes that I have left with you, because this brought a lot of light to me and it brought a lot of light to me in light of what I was talking about that dynamic, of having that sense of friendship with God.

Because when you get to know a person, and I mean, when you get to know a person as they are, that gives you a great privilege and responsibility to take care of that relationship that you have with that person. Not everyone has the opportunity to learn the minute details of someone's life. Not everyone is given that privilege.

And look, even in contexts of a couple, I even dare to say that not all couples know the most detailed details of their spouse and in a certain aspect they live like a nebula of what my wife or husband is thinking. Or what their needs or desires will be so that I can find how to satisfy them, if God gives me the grace and the ability to do so.

There are times when the children, I don't know, I imagine that at some point what my parents are thinking of me for me to know how to function or vice versa, or the parents are different, because what we parents want is to get into the head of them to change them and that they work as one wants. But there is this idea of being able to know what is in them, the way they are thinking, what are the influences they have there. What are your desires, what are your desires, what are your doubts, what are your fears.

Look, if I start to list so many things, my brothers, it can be something very overwhelming for us, that maybe we even get to the point of thinking like, no, I don't want to know all the things, because then I'm going to having to go and sit on a psychologist's couch or something like that to help me.

But yes, I am certain of the idea, my brothers, that knowing someone well is of the utmost importance. And much more in light of that dynamic of being able to establish a healthy, healthy relationship with that person.

Look, if I come to the text, look how the psalmist is saying, these words are beautiful and precious to me. Says:

"... Lord Jehovah, you have examined me and you have known me, you have known my sitting down and my rising up..."

We are talking about actions, my sitting down and my getting up, everything I do, wherever I go, wherever I go, you know, you know.

Look, if I just stop there and I tell you, take a trip back over your life, everything you've done, where you've been sitting down and getting up, and think about how God will feel about it. What's more, if I ask you, how do you feel? Many of us can look back and it's like oh, mom, what a shame, that I did that, that I said that, that I thought the other thing. Ay ay ay. The many miles that have been run.

You have understood my thoughts from afar, look at that, from afar, not up close. He is saying that he has understood it from afar. In other words, here the sovereignty of God is being exalted at a level far beyond what we can understand. There are times when I, being next to a person, cannot even understand what they are saying to me, how much more can I understand what they are thinking.

And this is very interesting because this helps us a lot in our communication when we are talking to someone, there are times when we space out and go to Babylon in our heads, and the person is talking to us, talking, talking, talking and one is thinking about the rice with chicken that is going to eat later. And when the person tells you and asks you, are you listening to what I am telling you? Yes, yes, yes, you were telling me about the suit you bought. No, I was telling you about the argument I had with my work colleague.

And like we hear, but we don't listen or vice versa, we listen but we don't hear, do you get the idea? We hear but we do not listen. But it is the idea of being able to know what the other person is thinking, what they are feeling, how they are processing their life experience, how they are processing their experience of faith, so that one can understand even more where that person is. person and then know how to proceed, how to respond or how not to respond.

And God, on that side, God yes, God understands our thoughts from afar. He has scrutinized our walk and our rest, and all our ways are known to him.

Listen, and when you talk about all our ways, you're not just talking about our ways of old, you're also talking about the ways to come.

This is the part that everyone likes the most. How do you say later? Well, there is still no word in my language and behold, O Lord, you know it all.

How many have gotten rid of a bad word at some point? confess. If you haven't said it but have thought about it, you know what? Ok, how many have not said it but have thought about it? Let see the hands. We can ask the Lord for forgiveness because he still knows it all.

And behold, O Lord, you know it. Look at this, I love these words, behind and in front you surrounded me, and on me you put your hand. Look at that phrase, brothers, how precious it is, you put your hand on me. Look at this how tricky it is. Because the tendency is that when one thinks about his past life, about everything he has done, in all his ways, the tendency is to think mostly about the negative things that one has done.

It's like human nature, instead of exalting the good that one does, one tends to think, oh, but I've already done this, I've done that, the other. God doesn't love me. God doesn't want me. And look, this is the devil's lie that what he wants is for you to sink into a glass of water when what God has is some grace for you.

So, we, look how interesting, the psalmist as he is expressing all this about God, you know my word, my thoughts, everything, everything and I imagine that he is saying, Lord, I know they are not good so forgive me. But with everything and that, he dares to say, but look, even despite these things, your hand is, what? About me.

Psalm 73 that I read at the beginning, what did it say, Psalm 73, look, I would like you to have read it, but read that entire Psalm 73 in its entirety, because what that Psalm 73 is saying, it is speaking Assaf, he was the one who wrote it, and Assaf was one of the temple worship leaders who worked with David as well. So Assaf, being a leader, look at how he says the first few verses, he starts by saying,

“…Ah, certainly God is good to Israel, to the pure in heart, but as for me, my feet almost slipped, my steps almost slipped, why? Because I was envious of the arrogant seeing the prosperity of the impious….”

The man began to doubt his own faith, he was a praise leader of those who stand up here, and sing, and praise and glorify and perhaps played one of the instruments, but the man also had a human side. He had a very human side which he himself recognized before God. God look, I'm having doubts in this area, and my faith is kind of failing me right now. And he begins to list a series of things, out of the envy he feels about it. Hey, I'm a Christian, I'm taking care of myself, I'm persevering for you and the one who is a scoundrel is with a mansion with a new car, everything around him, and here I am eating bread crumbs.

Thank goodness they're breadcrumbs, not onions, right? But look, verse 17 says:

"... Until I entered the sanctuary of God and understood their end..."

In other words, this man is going on a journey of introspection and he is confirming himself and reminding himself that those things for which he is complaining, he really does not have to complain, because he knows what the fate of those people is. and he knows what his destiny is in God too. Thus, he ends by saying:

“…Who do I have in heaven but you, I desire nothing on earth outside of you. My flesh and my heart fail but the rocks of my heart and my portion is God forever..."

This man knew God and God knew him too. And he knew that he could express himself freely before God because God was going to understand him and help him on his journey, he was going to affirm him, he was going to strengthen him, no matter what situation he was going through.

And that, my brothers, for me is powerful. What Assaf's words indicate to me is that the hand of God was upon him, as he was saying here. "You surrounded me behind and before and laid your hand on me."

You have laid your hand on me. Listen, how many times, my brothers, I want you to think about this, how many times have we not said our prayers like, Lord, I am not worthy, I am not worthy of your grace and mercy being upon me.

But look, with everything and that, those are the thoughts that when God sees them he says, I'm not going to pay attention to those thoughts, ignore them. I know, I know what I have put in you, I know what you are, who you are. I know him very well.

I think that is why then the psalmist says, "such knowledge is too wonderful for me, it is high, I cannot understand it..."

Look for more...., I find myself many times in my prayer time saying, Lord, I want to know you, I want to know more about you, I long to discover new things from you. And look, I am sure, amen, the Lord says, look, yes, come, meet me. Come, come closer to me and I will come closer to you. Those are things that the Lord Himself affirms to us.

But I know that as long as I live as they say, in this very finite mind, I will not be able to know how high, how wide, how deep and how long are the dimensions of God's love. When I think that I have already known everything, I realize that the horizon is even longer. And that is the love that God gives to each one of us. That is the knowing that God gives us.

And there are times when it is so overwhelming that you look, the tendency of us is to want to run away. When we see each other, we realize that, wow, God's love is so great. Look how he says:

"... where will I go from your spirit and where will I flee from your presence..."

Did you see where the thought of this psalmist goes? As in that deep, internal reflection of the soul, he is realizing that this man is so imperfect, that the tendency of human nature is to run away from the presence of God, like no, I am not worthy of him. And that's why he says,

“…Where will I go from your spirit, and where from its presence, if I ascend to heaven, of course, there I will meet you and if I go to the sun and make my platform there, behold, you are there too. If I take the wings of dawn, like the morning, and go to the other ends of the sea, even there your hand will guide me and your right hand will hold me..."

If I said, ah, certainly when I turn off the light in my room, all the darkness, I'm going to hide and you won't see me there. God turns the light back on and can see you with x-rays. no, right, you don't have to turn on the light because God has night vision and sees you through night vision too. Have you seen night vision that everything looks half green and black? But God continues to see everything in color.

Because? Why would we want to run away from God? When we recognize that wonderful omnipresence of God… I'm having an epiphany right now. Look how interesting.

There is a psalm where David says, my soul praise Jehovah and do not forget any of his benefits, right? Or was it not? He is forcing his soul as if to say, that he has to praise God. Because? Because the soul where that human nature is is the one that reveals itself the most with the spirit. That war that in there. And when God begins to reveal all the intentions of his heart, that soul comes into conflict with himself. He says, no, that's too much. This is too much for me, I can't. And he has a tendency to run away.

Because it's such a big, wide, wide, deep love, you can't fully understand it and when you don't fully understand something, when you don't understand it, it's like no, I can't deal with it. That's too much for me. He has a tendency to run away.

But once again, my brothers and sisters affirm our sense that nothing and no one can separate us from the love of God. Wherever we go, that love of God will be there, it will be present, it will be latent, it will be watching, it will be discerning the things that are in our hearts and when God has marked your life, look , no matter where you go, even if it is in the drawer, in a basement of your house, the Lord will still find you there. He's going to get in that drawer with you and he's going to find it however he wants.

What's more, he's going to get into the drawer with you and he's going to say, what are you doing here? What are you doing in here? I'm at psalm 139, again:

“… Because you formed my entrails, you made me in my mother's womb. I will praise you because it is formidable and wonderful are your works..."

He's talking about himself, he's getting a bit of air. Ah, Lord, you created me, wonderful are your works, of course. My body was not covered up, that was to make them laugh a little. I notice them a little tense, hello. What are they thinking?

"... My embryo saw your eyes and in your book were written all those things that were later formed..."

Listen to me, I come into conflict with that verse. Do you know why? Because some traditional person once told me, ah, that's because everything you've done in your life God already knows and everything was already written. And I tell him, are you going to want to tell me that the times I intentionally failed before God, God already knew it and had it marked and written? How many say no to that? How many say yes to that?

Look if yes or no, God is so omniscient that I know he knows everything. And obviously I'm not going to get into this field because I know that then we're going to do half a watch and I want you to leave before it starts to snow. If you hadn't heard, snow is going to fall.

But that will give them the opportunity to reflect, when you go out and see the snow fall, that you can say, Lord, clean me like snow to be as white as snow, and that way you don't know… ah, it's snowing still. No, no, think. Take it to that spiritual level.

"...In your book were written all those things that were later formed without missing one of them..."

Tell me if God knows or not? that your bald spot was in God's book, that God knew that at this age you were going to have that bald spot. That those kids who have more and God knew that they were going to be there. The wrinkle under his eyes too God knew that was going to be there.

Look, tomorrow when you're driving, if someone crosses you in front and what you wish for that person, God already knew that you were going to wish it. The person at work who said something to you and when they turned their backs you say, hrhrhrhrhrr, God knew you were going to do that to that person. Your husband came to you with some things in the morning and took away your peace and you, like, take him away. God already knew you were going to say that. Well, I'm sticking to what the text says, okay?

“…How precious are your thoughts to me, O God, how great is the sum of them. If I number them, they multiply more than sand. I wake up and I'm still not done, I'm still with you. Amen…"

Now, but look at this:

·… Certainly you will put to death the wicked, therefore depart from me bloodthirsty men because they blaspheme and speak against you, your enemies take your name in vain and I do not hate, O Jehovah, those who hate you, and I am enraged against your enemies. I hate them completely, I have them as enemies…”

Look, the psalmist puts those 4 verses there and says, brothers, just to identify that those people who do not know God, look, they are truly missing out on a great benefit. The benefit of being known by the greatest being of all existence. And they are missing something big, that they cannot enjoy, that they cannot understand, that they cannot perceive.

And finally the psalmist ends by saying these words:

"...Search me, O God, and know my heart..."

What does it say? What did you say? Are you sure? Are you sure that's what it says? Because you are giving God permission to test you. Do you want God to test you? Do you want God to examine you and truly test what is there? Be careful what you ask for.

“…Try me and know my thoughts and see if there is a wicked way in me and guide me in the eternal way…”

You saw how everything is summed up in those two verses, my brothers. We are known to know him as he knows us. Look, my secret tonight is this: when you know someone as they are, in some mysterious way God gives you a special love for that person, when you know them as they are.

A special love, I'm not saying it's a sentimental love, and oh, cuchi, cuchi. No, I'm not saying that. I am saying a special love from God. Because if we know people, I don't know if you remember when I spoke a couple of Wednesdays ago, that I told you that each person comes with a tag that says 'as is', that is, just as they are. This is how you have to deal with people. That person comes with a tag that says, look, if you take it from this store, you take it as it is, and there are no returns. And if you return it, if someone else returns it, they will have to take it as it is, with the damage you have done, or the repairs you have made.

But when I think about this, my brothers, that God knows us like this with our rough edges and our good sides, and God insists on dealing with us however he wants. That is an example that God gives us of how our dealings with other people around us should be. if I can say to God, God, examine me, look at my heart, put me in the machine of your…, give me a city scan of my life and see if there is perversity in me and guide me along the path that you have for my life.

When you do that, it is another way for you to say, 'Lord, just as you do it with me, that I can do it with others too.' Maybe you don't have the ability to do a city scan on the other person, but as you get to know the other person, and then you can say, 'Lord, help me to walk on the path that I should walk with this person'.

In other words, that my behavior with this person is correct. That I can speak what I have to speak at the moment that I have to say it or when I have to be silent, that I be silent at the moment that I have to be silent. That deal that is given, that can flow. As we get to know God more and we know ourselves as God knows us, look, that gives us the door to then be able to connect with other people around us as God does with us.

This is a mystery, my brothers, I really don't plan on explaining it to you so you can get out of here and, wow, I completely understood a mystery of God today. I am only sharing what I know in my limited head, and may God deal with you. As you get to know God and that you can get to know God's love in your life, that nourishes you to be able to know others around you and love them as God also loves them. I liked that, it's better than I had thought. Thank you.

As we know God and the love he has over our lives, that equips us to be able to know others and love them as God loves them. Not how you want to love them, how God loves them.

We are going to stand up and we are going to pray. Wow, sir, thank you. Lord, they are mysteries that we cannot understand, how great, Lord, is your love, how expansive is your love, Lord. That even though we are so imperfect beings, your love continues to pour out day after day, for each one of us, Lord. You continue to seek to embrace us with your love, embrace us with your power, embrace us with your grace and your mercy.

And not necessarily to yearn for us but to let us know, my God, the plans, the intentions that you have in your heart for us. You want us to be firm sons and daughters of a King, standing in the knowledge of the one who perfects us day after day, of the one who perfects his work in us day after day.

And, Lord, look, maybe I didn't do full justice to this psalm 139 today with the words that I have shared, Lord, there is so much there to cut. But yes, the most I ask of you, Lord, is that the words that I have shared reach the hearts of my brothers and sisters, and that you, Lord, that you use that seed that is planted today, that you use it to let them know Lord, how do you want to work in the midst of them and them, in the stages of life in which they find themselves, Lord.

Perhaps some are looking at themselves with a sense of shame and perhaps when reading these verses they feel inappropriate, but, Lord, your hand is upon them, as this psalm rightly affirms. Your hand is on them, Lord, your eyes are on them and on them to restore them, to remove any perversity and put us all, Lord, on your straight path, on the eternal path. So Lord, look, we repeat these words, and we say it, Lord, search us and know our hearts, test us, God, as painful as that test may be and know our thoughts, and Lord, see if there is in us any way of wickedness and guide us, guide us in your way, Lord, guide us in your light.

Father, we want to please you in everything we do, in everything we think, in everything we speak, and we know that we are a work in progress, we are a work in progress, and we believe and trust, Lord, that you as the The main architect of our lives, like the one who has all the details of our life already written, that you are going to take care that each of those things that you have written for our lives are carried out, fulfilled in our midst.

So Lord, as we prepare to leave here, may we leave with a sense of hope and not defeat, may we leave with a sense of conviction of your knowledge of our lives, of your love for us. , Lord, and may we not leave here with any kind of shame, Lord, may it sink us. On the contrary, Lord, you love us, the conviction that your spirit brings, Lord, is for the edification of our lives and not for the destruction of them.

So, Lord, take us with this word that can continue to echo in our hearts, my God, and that above all things bring us closer to you to lead lives as you want us to lead them, Lord. We love you, my God, because you have loved us first. Grant us a good rest tonight and that tomorrow, if you allow it, if it is your will, we can get up once more and fulfill those things that tomorrow will bring. Thanks for tonight's portion. And in the name of your Son Jesus we pray and give you all the glory. Amen. Amen. Thank you Lord Jesus. Thanks God.