Straight from a Known Heart
by Lisa Elliott

To be known. It is one of the most basic human needs. At least, it’s one of mine.

Maybe it’s because, after five ministry moves over forty-one years, I can appreciate the effort it takes to get to know someone or put myself out there to make myself known. Whatever the reason, one of my deepest longings is to be known. By that, I mean I long to be understood, to be valued, to be accepted, and to be loved. Not merely by name or number or position or prestige. Rather, to be known by heart—for who I am as a person.

You may have heard the saying, “A friend is someone who knows everything about you and loves you anyway.” While I am blessed to have a few friends who know me well, I have discovered Jesus ultimately to be that friend who knows me best and loves me most. He “sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24, NIV). I can attest to it because I’ve known Him personally for over five decades. More importantly, He has known me from the beginning of time, according to Jeremiah 1:5a (NIV), which says “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.”

When I first became a follower of Jesus, I was encouraged to read the Psalms. When I got to Psalm 139, something got a hold of my heart. Maybe because it got personal. It immediately became my favourite. All these years later, it holds the same attraction.

I’d like to share some simple truths from this psalm that I’ve discovered and held on to. Especially through seasons of loneliness, rejection, inner turmoil, or feeling unseen. These truths give me all the assurance I need on my quest to be known. I entrust them to you in hopes that they will bless and encourage your heart today.

• God watches you closely. "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" (Psalm 139:1-3, NIV).
• God knows you intimately. "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" (v. 4-6).
• God pursues you relentlessly. "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" (v. 7-8).
• God guides you continually. "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" (v. 9-10).
• God accompanies you protectively. "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" (v. 11-12).
• God created you uniquely. "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth" (v. 13-15).
• God planned you purposefully. "Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be" (v. 16).
• God cares for you profoundly. "How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand— when I awake, I am still with you" (v. 17-18).
• God guards you possessively. "If only you, God, would slay the wicked! Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty! They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name. Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord, and abhor those who are in rebellion against you? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies" (v. 19-22).
• God loves you unconditionally. "Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (v. 23-24).

As you consider these simple truths, take a few minutes to listen to the song "He Knows My Name" by Tommy Walker. Allow the God who created you, knows you, pursues you, guides you, protects you, and loves you, to minister to your heart today.

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Need a little extra encouragement? Discover more inspirational blogs by Lisa Elliott, Straight from the Heart.

About this Contributor:

Lisa Elliott is an inspirational speaker and award-winning author of The Ben Ripple, Dancing in the Rain, and A Ministry Survival Guide. She’s also a writer for Just Between Us Magazine, theStory, and Good Ground. She and her husband, David, have four children (three on earth, one in heaven) and serve the Lord together in Stratford, ON, Canada.