By O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off (Psalm 139:1-2).
Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight; but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do (Hebrews 4:13).
Each of us is made in the image and likeness of God. However, we are all unique in some way. We have different temperaments, aspirations and abilities. After all, it would be kind of boring if we were all exactly alike, wouldn’t it?
Interestingly, others may think they know everything about us, but they really don’t know us as well as they think they do. In fact, we don’t know everything about ourselves. Our Heavenly Father is the one who knows us completely, understands us fully and loves us deeply.
Yes, God knows us. He knows our possibilities, our limitations and our needs. Since He knows us so well, we can trust Him to bring out the best in us.
Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” With God directing our paths great things can happen:
The sinful person can be made clean.
The timid person can become a warrior for God in advancing His kingdom.
The unnoticed person can be brought to the forefront of God’s work on earth.
Often, we sell ourselves short by saying, “I have too many weaknesses for God to be able to do anything with me.” I can tell you that is what held me back for many years. Yes, God knows our weaknesses- but, we depend on His strength. Ephesians 6:10 tells us to be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. We can depend on Him to help us do what we cannot do by ourselves.
Finally, when it comes to our needs, God has a clearer picture of what we need than we do. In Matthew 6:8 Jesus said, “…your Father knoweth what things you have need of before you ask Him.” Our faith should be in what God knows about us. He knows what we need and He is able to help us in every situation.
Dave Snyder is an Ordained Bishop with the Church of God – Cleveland, Tennessee. Before entering the ministry on a full-time basis, he was a school teacher. He also coached middle school basketball for eight years.
Dave and his wife, Sara, have two children — Craig and Karen. They also have one ten year old granddaughter — Breanna.
Dave and Sara pastored in West Virginia for thirty-six years. Sara is now retired from the banking industry, and Dave is retired from pastoring. However, Dave currently serves as prison Chaplain for the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Writing essays, articles, and devotionals is a real passion for Dave. He also enjoys playing musical instruments and singing.
by leaps and bounds 