The New Room is sharing a Friday reflection each week. We hope that these short reflections will act as a point of spiritual focus, enabling a moment of quiet thought and prayer.

Dottie North is a Local Preacher in the Bristol Circuit.

For this Friday reflection I am using verses from my favourite Psalm – 139 (using the New International Reader’s Version). I remember the very first time I fully appreciated these words during a period of my life where I was feeling low and isolated, and the sheer joy of knowing that the amazing God who had created me was with me always and everywhere!

Verses 1 & 2 “Lord, you have seen what is in my heart. You know all about me. You know when I sit down and when I get up. You know what I am thinking, even though you are far away”. Knowing that God sees into our hearts and our thoughts can be both comforting and disturbing – are our thoughts always those that God would like us to be thinking?

Verses 3 & 4 “You know when I go out to work and when I come back home.  You know exactly how I live. Lord, even before I speak a word you know all about it.” Someone once asked me why it is necessary to pray when God knows all about us – what we’ve done; what we wish for; what we what to tell Him about.  My response was to say that just as I love to share in conversation with my children so my heavenly Father loves me to speak with, and listen to, Him.

Verses 5 & 6 “You are all around me. You are behind me and in front of me. You hold me in your power. I am amazed at how well you know me. It’s more than I can understand”. How these words resonate as we live through such scary times; to know that we are, even in the midst of a pandemic, surrounded by God and held in His mighty power.

Verses 7 – 10 “How can I get away from your Spirit? Where can I go to escape from you? If I go up to the heavens, you are there. If I lie down in the deepest parts of the earth, you are also there. Suppose I were to rise with the sun in the east and then cross over to the west where it sinks into the ocean. Your hand would always be there to guide me”. Your right hand would still be holding me close. John Wesley is quoted as saying “Best of all, God is with us” as he lay dying. He knew with certainty that whatever his situation the God who had strangely warmed his heart would be with him always and everywhere.

Verses 13 & 14 “You created the deepest parts of my being. You put me together inside my mother’s body. How you made me is amazing and wonderful and I praise you for that. What you have done is wonderful. I know that very well”. Knowing that God has made each and every human being should urge us as Christians to strive to eliminate social injustice and the fear and ignorance that lead to prejudice and discrimination.

As we think about what these verses mean for us let us pray  – using Verse 23 & 24

God, see what is in my heart. Know what is there. Put me to the test. Know what I’m thinking. See if there is anything in my life you don’t like. Help me live in the way that is always right. Amen