The Devotional - 1530 - God Knows His Chldren

The Devotional – 1530 – God Knows His Children

Psalm 139:1-8 – A Psalm of David. O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; you understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.

Comments and Challenges  

Many children today run the pathways of life and their parents have no knowledge of what their child or children are doing. Then when something happens and the child is accused as the one who is the cause; the common replies are: “My child would never do or think of such things”; “They are only children, what do you expect!”; or this one… “Children are not accountable, so leave my child out of it!”. Of course there are many more excuses that parents give for their lack of “knowing” their child. 

Yet I remember (but of course, by the world standard of age, I am an antique) my days of growing up that my parents knew “always” what I was up too, both the good and the bad and I remember that I was never up to any “good” and therein is the problem. I WAS NEVER UP TO DOING GOOD. Before becoming a teenager, I lied, cheated on school work and beat up on my brothers. Awe! Go ahead and say it; “Jesse you were a jerk of the kid”. I was not alone in this; was I. If you think about it? “SO WERE YOU”.

In those days however, parents took the position that their children were “bad to the bone” and were always ready to comprehend the downward path of each child. In today’s parental watch care the parent abides in this “enlightened” society that children can do no wrong and that somehow it is the fault of the neighborhood, the school or some other entity that can absorb the blame. OH! BAH HUMBUG! And in your heart of hearts you know that the parental progress of raising children today falls flat; even that it is a slap in the face of our “all present, all knowing and all caring Creator.

Now I know that for the most part, everyone who reads these devotionals are mindful of the things I have just said, (some would say that I am preaching to the choir) be careful with that one, since I am in the choir! Therefore there is an underlying power that works in the heart of all of us; one that continually says this. “And the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die, for God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” – Genesis 3:4-5. This then is the reason behind our upbringing. Oh do you see a “loophole” in that the devil made me do it?

I would hope not, the devil is only the “originator” of evil; in other words he is responsible for letting evil into the world; but he is not responsible for our personal actions of living without respect of God or for our obedience to parents. The choice to do well and the choice to do bad is the choice of every individual who has a normal upbringing and at any point we can and often do go the wrong way. Well a lot said here and yet everything said is subject to the Word of God, is it not! And this is my point really!

Our mind and soul needs the Word of God, as much as our lungs need 18 to 21 percent of oxygen to sustain a healthy life and live physically. Can I dare say that this same percentage need applies to our mind and soul too? Well, yes I can! What would be the percentage of the “God breathed Word” do we know, or teach to our children, as God knows us? 

Are we inhaling and exhaling holiness? What then is the percentage of divine principals that God knows his children and that He knows our going in and going out, could we have? Are we starving our soul and fainting in the day of trouble – Matthew 6:34, or are we like the drunk who knows what to do, but fails to do it – Ephesians 5:18.

Psalm 139:23-24 – Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.