Imperishable Inheritance

O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You under­stand my thought from afar. You scru­ti­nize my path and my lying down, And are inti­mately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O LORD, You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowl­edge is too won­der­ful for me; It is too high, I can­not attain to it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your pres­ence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me. If I say, “Surely the dark­ness will over­whelm me, And the light around me will be night,” Even the dark­ness is not dark to You, And the night is as bright as the day. Dark­ness and light are alike to You. For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fear­fully and won­der­fully made; Won­der­ful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hid­den from You, When I was made in secret, And skill­fully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed sub­stance; And in Your book were all writ­ten The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them. How pre­cious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would out­num­ber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You. O that You would slay the wicked, O God; Depart from me, there­fore, men of blood­shed. For they speak against You wickedly, And Your ene­mies take Your name in vain. Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with the utmost hatred; They have become my ene­mies. Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anx­ious thoughts; And see if there be any hurt­ful way in me, And lead me in the ever­last­ing way.
Psalms 139