Sermon – Psalm 139 – God Knows Who You Are

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon – Psalm 139 – God Knows Who You Are

Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Churches

January 15, 2012

I have a good friend who pastors a church in Korea. I met him six years ago when he arrived in Los Angeles to study English. He tells a story about his first day in America. He arrived at the Bradley International Terminal of Los Angeles International Airport. His cousin was to pick him up, but was delayed in traffic. His plane landed and he went through customs. He emerged into a vast space filled with people all speaking languages he didn't know. He was bewildered, confused and frightened. How could he ever find his cousin in this crowd?, he thought. He had no idea how to make a telephone call or find a taxi. He felt completely alone in a very strange place. And then he remembered that someone was with him in that crowd who knew him. God was there. God knew his name and was going to care of him. Let us remember that God is always with us too as we pray.

“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)

Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18 (My Translation)

To the director a psalm of David

Yahweh

You know me and you search me

You know when I sit down and you know when I stand up

You know my thoughts from a distance

You know my goings and my lying down

You know my ways and habits

Without a word on my tongue

Yahweh knows everything

You are behind me and in front of me surrounding me

You place your hand on me

Your knowledge is wonderful

But it is too high for me to obtain

Because you made my internal organs

And knitted me together in my mother's womb

I praise you because

I am fearfully, distinctly and wonderfully made

And my soul knows it well

My bones are not hidden from you

Who made me in secret

I have been woven from the ground

As an embryo you saw me with your eyes

And in your book was written all my days

When as yet none had been formed

And regarding your precious purposes, God

How many of them!

If I were to count them they would out number all the grains of sand

And when I wake up you are still with me.

For the last two weeks weeks we have been talking about God as portrayed in the Book of Psalms. First we saw that God was the creator of all that is, and so all of creation is to praise him. Then we saw that God is all powerful, and so his people are to worship him with total loyalty and full obedience. But it must be surprising to find out that the creator of the universe, this all powerful God, knows each of us, individually, as well as our own parents did. God is with us always, and is concerned for our welfare.

But from time to time God seems to take a leave of absence. Maybe he is in Florida on winter vacation or driving to Arizona right at the moment you need his presence the most. You pray and no one seems to be there to listen. You wonder if prayers are really heard at all. When this happens we all wonder what good is having a God when he is out there somewhere when we need him right here. And since we believe that God exists we feel hurt and abandoned when he doesn't respond to our prayers.

When this happens it's OK to ask God where he is. David asked, “My God, why have you forsaken me” (Psalm 22). Even Jesus experienced the absence of God and sang David's psalm from the cross. Some fear that to question God in this way is to lose your faith, but this would be wrong. Questioning God is always a sign of deep faith, acknowledging God existence even when he seems to be so far away, but it is always hard to question someone you trust who you think has let you down.

Whenever we question where God is our questions come from the heart. When your world seems to be falling apart and God seems far away the questions you ask are not academic, they are intensely meaningful because they deal with matters of life and death. When a granddaughter has cancer, or a parent goes into a nursing home, or you lose your job, or your home and God does not seem to be listening to your prayers you question God not with a need to know something, but to express the intense feeling of betrayal that God is not there when you need him.

So when we question God about his seeming absence we are voicing a protest. We feel that we have a right to have God with us at all times. And when God seems to be missing we have the need to complain about God's inaction. I once heard a story about the funeral of young woman. She had just graduated from university and was on the cusp of an extremely bright future. But cancer struck and she died before her potential could be realized. The pastor at her funeral began with a prayer, “We gather today, dear friends, to protest the death of Suzanne.” Some have said that this is not the right thing to say at a funeral. But I disagree. When a 22 year dies it is an act of faith to protest what has happened. When people of no faith perceive that God is far away they have no reason to complain. But we, people of faith, can look God straight in the eye and ask him where he has been. Consider this, only a child who believes that her father will be there when he is needed will complain if he is not. Only a person who trusts God will protest when God seems not to be around.

And this leads us to one final thought. When God seem to be far away, when we need him the most the only thing that will satisfy us is to experience his presence. I know of someone who experienced the absence of God when he needed it the most. This man was a man of great faith. He protested to God asking God where he was. And this man died before he ever got a response. But three days later, in the morning before most people where awake, God got into the grave where Jesus was and moved within his dead body, restoring life to his corpse, and Jesus was alive.

So whenever you experience that God is far away and seems to be absent, call to him in prayer and ask him to come. Protest his absence. Ask God why he is letting you down. And then do the hardest job of all, wait, wait until God returns like Jesus waited, for God to give you your own resurrection. Waiting is hard. It is much easier to act, to do something. But if it ever feels that God is far away and you ask him why he is gone, you may have to wait for him to return. And this is where faith comes it. Your faith that God will return is your source of hope. And hope is what allows you to wait for God to return.

So remember that God is always with you. The creator, our all powerful God, is over you and under you and behind you and in front of you. God knows your name, knows who you are, and is concerned with everything you feel, think, do or say. But sometimes God seems so far away. And when this happens ask God where he is. Protest his absence. And wait for his coming. He promises to always love you and give you eternal life.

My faithful friend from Korea experienced the absence of God in that airport. He felt all alone. But because of his faith he knew he could trust God so as he waited he was filled with hope. Eventually his cousin arrived and found him. And my friend realized that God had never left and was with him the whole time he wandered around that airport. Even though no one else knew his name, God did and that's really what matters.

Almighty God, we thank you for you presence among us. And even though we sometimes feel that you are far away, we still trust in you and anticipate with hope your return. Amen.

Adapted from "When God Goes on Leave of Absence" by Lewis Smedes http://www.csec.org/csec/sermon/smedes_4005.htm