Psalm 139

I’ll end the week with this psalm.  I always turn to it when thin=
gs aren’t going my way, and it feels like the walls are closing in on me. &=
nbsp;When I find myself in that state, I often think that my circumstances =
are connected somehow to my sinful behavior.  In other words, because =
I am a sinner (no matter how good I am) bad things are happening to me. &nb=
sp; But this psalm, written by a man who also messed up before God, declare=
s “you are familiar with ALL my ways”. God knows both the good and bad part=
s of us, and loves the whole person. There is no excuse for sin, but it is =
infinitely comforting to know that God understands us, in ways that we cann=
ot understand ourselves (v. 6).  I’ll end with a quote from my good fr=
iend, Rev. Kirk Jones.  ”To be faithful is not to be mistake-free. Res=
t in your best, and let grace cover the rest.”