“I don’t know of a better statement in all the Bible to reassure us of God’s involvement in our lives than the 139th psalm.” ~ Charles R. Swindoll
The great doctrines of the Bible not only provide a solid foundation for our faith but offer to us genuine comfort during difficult times. That is especially true of the many attributes of God—those divine characteristics that mark His nature and His ways. Psalm 139 uniquely explores many of those expressions of divine nature, leaving much to mystery, but also signalling to us the personal and powerful care that God offers His children, providing our greatest reassurance in times of doubt.
God’s people, the Hebrews, enjoyed a rich history of song-making and worship, both personal and corporate. The Old Testament presents in all its genres a treasure trove of songs, hymns, and spiritual songs, composed and sung by the faithful, from Genesis to the end of Malachi. A significant concentration of those worship hymns found a permanent home in the Hebrew psalter—the book of Psalms. Not unlike the hymns and praise songs of today, the Psalms gave expression to the struggles of the faithful as well as to the deep truths of God as revealed in creation (Job 38:7), through the ministry of His servants (Deuteronomy 32:1–43), and often accompanied by angelic antiphony (Isaiah 6:2–4).
Psalm 139 stands out as one of the psalms that not only captures some of the most profound attributes of God but also how those doctrines ought to undergird the rhythmic meter of faith.
Perhaps nowhere else in Scripture are the attributes of God more clearly on display than in the refrains of Psalm 139. Study this psalm and write out your own prayerful response to what you discover about Him.
“Our Greatest Reassurance” is from Chuck Swindoll’s series The Greatest Words. You can stream this message online anytime at insightforliving.ca/audiolibrary.
