Encountering The Father - Psalm 139

Hi everybody, it’s Pastor Dave, sitting on my son and daughter-in-law’s front porch in North Carolina – Sneed’s Ferry – just outside Camp Lejeune. So, you’re probably going to hear some helicopters and some noise from the base there.

Listen, I’m with you today to do the “Encountering The Father” page in your journal. So, if you have a journal, grab it. And let me go over this and kind of encourage you on it.
If you don’t have a journal, man, get one. We know it’s a small percentage of Christians who actually meet with God every day. And it’s even a smaller percentage that journal. You can get one at wordbymail.com.

Grab your journal and turn it to the “Encountering The Father” page. The first thing it says there is, “What did God reveal to me in our alone time together this week?” Friday is a great day to look back over the week and say, “God, what did you point out to me? What do I remember? Do I remember anything about my time alone with God this week?” We want to be able to look back and say, “Man. This was a great day. That was a great day with God.” So, you might want to look back in your journal and say, “Okay. We did this, and this, and this, this week. What really hit me?” Look at your notes, and write that there under the area that says, “What did God reveal to me in our alone time together this week?”

And then right under that, “What scriptures is he highlighting?” So that might be scriptures in your “Daily Journal” pages. It might be scriptures that the Holy Spirit has just brought out to you this week.

And then, I love this shaded section right here. This is the section that I really want to challenge you with. It says, “How is he changing me?” How is he changing me now? There’s an area that God is transforming you in. And I pray that’s the area you would stay focused on. So, just understand what area God wants to transform you in. And then stay focused on that area in your daily journals, in your time alone with God as we walk you through it.

You can always get “Scripture By Topic” at wordbymail.com or on the Word By Mail phone app. Get Scripture By Topic, and say, “Oh, I need hope,” and then you can get all the scripture on hope. But listen, do that.

Let me finish by reading some scripture for you today. Can we just go through Psalm 139 a little bit? It just seems appropriate for this day when we’re looking back on how we’ve encountered the Father.

Psalm 139:1-6 (NLT)
1 O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.
2 You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
3 You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do.
4 You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord.
5 You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!

That’s the first six verses of Psalm 139. I just want you guys to know that God knows. He’s with you. This is the promise in the Great Commission. At the end of the Great Commission, Jesus says, And lo, I am with you always. I am with you always.
 
And Psalm 139 says, Lord, you are with me always. Every day, in every circumstance, in every place. Every unknown. Every fear. Every mountaintop. Every valley. He is with us, and he knows. He knows what you’re going through, and he wants to show up. He wants you to encounter him. He’s ready. He’s ready. So, he doesn’t need to encounter you. You need to encounter him. He’s ready for you. His Word is living and powerful and sharper than a two-edged sword. And it is a discerner of our thoughts and our intents. And so, as we spend time during the week, I hope you can come back on Fridays and say, “How did I encounter God this week?”

Let me pray for you. I am going to pray a little of Psalm 139.

Oh, Lord, you are always examining my heart. Lord, you know everything about me. You know when I’m sitting down, standing up. You know my thoughts, Lord. You know my thoughts even when I think I’m far away from you, you know my thoughts. You see me when I travel. You see me when I rest at home, Lord. You know what I’m going to say before I say it. Lord, you know me, and you are with me. You go before me; you follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head, Lord. God, you know. Such knowledge – your deep knowledge of me is too wonderful for me. It’s too great for me to understand.
 
God is with you. And he is ready for you to encounter him. And a number one way he’s designed to do that is through his Living Word, lit alive by his Holy Spirit. So, keep on journaling.

Tomorrow, on Saturday, it’s “What am I Grateful For This Week?” So, be sure and do your Saturday. And then, we’ll send you out a message for Sunday.

This is Pastor Dave telling you, “Have a great weekend!” I’m enjoying the family and the grandkids in North Carolina. God bless you all. See you soon. Bye-bye.