Yesterday was an important day- for our students and for you.  You asked the Lord to truly search you to make sure that you were clean and whole before Him.  For some of you, yesterday may have been the most honest that you’ve been with the Lord in a long time.  Let’s keep diving into Psalm 139 together. Today, we’ll look at Psalm 139:1-12- “You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.  You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.  You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.  Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.  Where can I go from your Spirit?  Where can I flee from your presence?  If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.  If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.  If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.”

There are a lot of important things in those 12 verses.  One of the main things is this- God knows everything about you.  He knows your thoughts.  He knows what you’re about to say before you even say it.  He always knows where you are.  Nothing is hidden from Him.  Students these days try to hide behind things, don’t they?  They try to do a good job of hiding what really may be going on in their hearts.  They can simply hide behind their phones.  Maybe they hide behind being high academic achievers because that’s what they think matters most.  Maybe they hide behind their athleticism.  If they are good at a sport, maybe they won’t have to tell others what they are really going through.  Junior high students are also trying to hide through the use of drugs, pornography, and alcohol.  Now before we harp too much on junior high students, would you be willing to ask a hard question today?  Are you hiding?  Are you putting on a good face, but dying on the inside?  Are you acting like you have it all together but find yourself addicted to things that you can’t break free from?  Our students will be hearing this week an important truth that we want you to dwell on as well.  God knows everything about us, and… here it comes… loves us anyway!  God searches our heart and sees things that maybe aren’t of Him.  He knows that we can’t attain perfection, but you see, that’s why He sent His Son Jesus for us.

Romans 5:8- “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Parent, you don’t have to put on a fake presentation for God.  He has seen you shine and He has seen you fall.  He loves you just the same.  He loves you unconditionally.  Rest in that.  His love for you isn’t based on your performance.  The God of the universe loves YOU, and He doesn’t want you to just stay where you are.  Our prayer for you, your student, and ourselves is that we could continue to draw close to the Lord and have an honest and open relationship with Him.  Guess what?  He wants that for us too.

We’re In Your Corner-

The Student Ministry Staff Team