This is part four of a six-part, six-week series based on
Psalm 139:13-18.

I’m posting this entry a little later than usual, but the
reason for my tardiness actually gives added meaning to the verse we’re
highlighting in this edition of the “What David Knew” series.

We have a new baby in the family! My brother-in-law and his
wife had a baby boy a couple of weeks ago and we’re here to see the little guy
for the first time. It’s exciting to us, as it is for any family when a child
is born. Naturally, we all cherish this new arrival and look upon him with
great love. We hope for the best for him and we will do all we can to set him
on a path to a good life.

For God, though, the story is different. Look at what David
wrote in Psalm 139:16:

“You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was
recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had
passed.” (New Living Translation)

And then, in keeping with what this series is all about, let’s
hear the words as God spoke to David:

“I saw you before you
were born. Every day of your life was recorded in my book. Every moment was
laid out before a single day had passed.”

Wow! Those are the words God has for our little nephew. We
saw him for the first time yesterday. God saw him long before that! We wonder
what his life will look like as the days go by. God already knows!

The same is true for you and for me, and I find great
comfort in that. I don’t know what will happen to me two seconds from now, but
God has it all written in His book. As the saying goes, “We may not know what
the future holds, but we know who holds the future.”

What do we do with this knowledge? It means we can relax a
little, I think. I can rest peacefully knowing that my life is in God’s hands –
and while I haven’t lived too long, I’ve lived long enough to know that my life
is much better in His hands than in mine. I just need to remind myself to put
one foot in front of the other and draw closer to God one step at a time, and
then, I’ll trust God with whatever happens.

The chorus of the Rich Mullins song comes to mind:

Oh God, You are my God

And I will ever praise You
Oh God, You are my God
And I will ever praise You
I will seek You in the morning
And I will learn to walk in Your ways
And step by step You’ll lead me
And I will follow You all of my days
(“Sometimes by Step” – © Rich Mullins and Bebo Norman)

Seems
like a good formula for living to me. How about you?