Can we rejoice in the sovereign providence and planning of God when he takes someone we love? Can we rejoice in the sovereign providence of God when afflicted with chronic pain or disease? Can we rejoice in the sovereign providence of God when he does things in ways that we would not expect or desire?

I’d encourage you to stop and read Psalm 139 and take in the vastness of the sovereign knowledge of the God of the universe. Verses 1-6 affirm that the LORD knows what we do, where we are, what we think, and what we will say before it even happens. Verses 7-12 assert the lesson illustrated in the book of Jonah – we cannot outrun or hide from the presence of the Almighty God. Verses 13-16 show that this God even knit us together in our mother’s womb – he formed and fashioned us and not only knew but planned all our days.

At the end of this wonderful knowledge, the Psalmist has three reactions that all seem appropriate: rejoicing (vv.17-18), rejecting (vv.19-22), and repenting (vv. 23-24).

The Psalmist rejoices in the vastness of the thoughts of the LORD. If you were to stand on a beach or in a desert and look at all the sand, the thoughts of the LORD are more. The sheer weight of that statement causes the Psalmist to rejoice because when the LORD thinks something it comes to pass. He is not only the knower of facts but the one whose knowledge creates the world and every human in it and the one whose knowledge plans the days of every person that has ever walked the face of the earth.

The Psalmist rejects all who oppose this great God. He sees the holiness and might of the LORD and says that he rejects their wicked ways and their opposition to the unstoppable God.

The Psalmist sees himself in light of this great God and humbles himself as he realizes all of the wickedness left inside of himself and begins the process of repentance. Not only does he oppose the wicked outside of himself, but he opposes the wickedness from within. He invites the probing of the LORD to shine the light on sin and help him to more closely follow the King of the Universe.

And the question for us is will we follow in the footsteps of the Psalmist? Can we rejoice in the sovereign providence and planning of God when he takes someone we love? Can we rejoice in the sovereign providence of God when afflicted with chronic pain or disease? Can we rejoice in the sovereign providence of God when he does things in ways that we would not expect or desire?

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