You Are Seen

Psalm 139

I probably shouldn’t be telling you this…but I don’t think you can find any proof on YouTube, so here it goes. When we got together during the holidays, us kids headed into my aunt’s basement and spent a whole day making our own family sketch comedy videos. It was a blast making the videos, but to be honest, we all really enjoyed the attention from our parents as we showcased that video in the evening. It’s all about the attention. People long to be SEEN. In fact, being seen is one of the most important factors for healthy emotional growth in children. It helps them “develop a secure attachment style, provides a solid foundation for social and emotional development, and enables them to form healthy relationships and deal with life’s challenges with resilience” (Proactive Approaches).

When a person is SEEN, they understand that they are safe, secure, and able to step forward. My daughter lived this out at camp (her trust in me and my focus on her gave her the confidence to step away from me and stay with the girls’ cabin). In a relationship, intimacy starts with being SEEN, leading to healthy growth and confidence. Being seen is the first step. Consider David in Psalm 139; he gives us a beautiful picture of the cycle of healthy relational development by showing us how he is seen by God.

Relational Intimacy is Cyclical, Not Static

Like some of the other psalms that we’ve explored in this series, this one is cyclical in nature and we can see that with the bookends. The psalm starts with David realizing he has been searched and known; ending with an invitation to God to search David more and lead Him in their relationship. What we see here is that a taste of true intimacy breeds desire for more. The more we realize that we are SEEN, the more we are going to want that from God. Another way to understand this principle is have a coke.

Coke’s marketing in the early 1900s was all about introducing themselves to a national and international audience, not just the known greater Atlanta area. To do that, they went everywhere and handed out free bottles of coke until people were begging for more. The one they gave you creates the desire that you keep indulging. The more you try something, the more you lean into something, the more your brain wires connections of desire. Literally, you like what you seek and therefore seek what you like. This is also how addiction works (whether it is substance abuse, what we watch, even how we talk). You try something once and like it, then the more you indulge yourself, the more connections get tied to that “thing”, ultimately leading to the more you like it and even need it. This cyclical process can be either an upward or downward cycle, depending on your focus. If it’s God and healthy relationships with other people, great; if it’s something else that gets in the way, then not great.

Relational Intimacy is a Melding Process

This is because our brain melds together with what is in front of us. This is why there is such a thing as inside jokes. When two people spend a lot of time together, they begin to like the same things and see things the same way, opening up doors to relational connectivity. You meld together. You can see the progression of David’s relationship with God as we walk through the psalm. David starts with a realization that God knows him – that God has seen him fully, explored all that David is and takes him completely. This leads him to understand that God is fully present with him and there is no where David can go without God. The more David enjoys God, the more of God he wants. It’s not that God gives David his wishlist, but that as David grows in his relationship with God, as Psalm 37 says, our desires will meld into His.

This all comes together in v15-16. God is everywhere David is and with him through every stage, seeing every piece and knowing David fully. All sections of this Psalm come together in this moment. David has leaned into the connectivity of the relationship and is melding with God. Then in v19-22, David takes on God’s desires for his own. He doesn’t delight in sin or wickedness, but desires good. Evil has become an enemy to David. The closer a relationship, the more you like the same things. It’s a lot better to just enjoy the chick flick with her rather than suffer through. That’s healthy intimacy!

Next Steps

God desires this intimacy with you. With Psalm 139, He wants you to know that you’re SEEN and invited into deep relationship with God. Let God into your life. This intimacy, if explored with God will lead deeper and deeper into more powerful and wonderful intimacy and adventure than you can dream!

1. Accept the truth that God sees you and sees you as worthwhile, no matter how you see yourself.
2. Understand no human relationship can compare to intimacy with God; seek Him above all else (Matt. 6:33).
3. Let God into a deeper, hidden part of your life. He already knows it, but share it with Him by choice.

Did you ever have a kid who had to have you watch everything? Were they clamoring for your attention? I’ve certainly had one or two. Were you that kid? We all were and we all still are. Let your heart be full – God SEES you, God KNOWS you, and God values you – you are WORTH IT. Let Him in.