Have you ever noticed how eerily similar our perception of Santa is with God? Maybe it’s just this season, but I’m struck by the parallels between David’s description of God in Psalm 139 with the words of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”:
He sees you when you’re sleeping (You discern my going out and my lying down; Psalm 139:3)
He knows when you’re awake (You know when I sit and when I rise; Psalm 139:2)
He knows if you’ve been bad or good (You are familiar with all my ways; Psalm 139:3)
So be good for goodness sake! (See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting; Psalm 139:24)
The goal of this catchy song is to incentivize children to behave throughout the year. I don’t know about you, but I find the concept of Santa knowing all these things about me to be a tad creepy. Some random guy in an uninhabitable land is keeping tabs on my behavior all year and using some unknown calculus to determine whether I receive the gift I want for Christmas? I’m not so sure that I want people to know what I’m up to, particularly if gifts are on the line! Yet David, when reflecting on God’s even more completely thorough knowledge, direction, and protection, declares it “too wonderful for me.” (Psalm 139:6) So much more than just a divine Santa Claus, God has been intricately involved in our very being from before our birth to time everlasting. And this is a truth we celebrate, not a behavior modification technique we grudgingly follow.
We learn many things in Psalm 139 about God’s presence with us and the proper response. In this Psalm, David clarifies how the omniscience of God is paired with an abiding love. It’s this key combination that clearly differentiates the knowledge of God—which incites a response of trust and love—with the knowledge of a figure like Santa—which incites a response based in fear and anxiety.
In addition to the ways noted above (knowing our physical movements and our sleeping/waking), God also knows our words (Psalm 139:4). Whether we even speak them, God knows them. And regardless of where we go, God will be there (Psalm 139:7-12). No place is too far nor too dark for the light of his presence to penetrate! Even in the darkness of the womb in which we were formed, God was there (Psalm 139:15). And not only was God present, but he was involved in the creation process (Psalm 139:13-14)! More than a merely festive-fair-isle-knitted stocking that a loving family member slaved over, we were lovingly crafted and shaped by the creator of the universe. And from this day forward, he’s never left us alone (Psalm 139:18). What a priceless gift!
Just as we prefer to avoid the naughty list, so we frequently opt to skip the section of this Psalm that discusses hatred of the wicked (Psalm 139:19-22). Yet, in looking at the full context, we see that it contains necessary sentiments. David has just spent many verses of this psalm praising God for his sovereignty and goodness, as well as his intricate care and shepherding of David’s heart. David recognizes that, despite being with God constantly, not everyone is so invested in reshaping themselves and their values to align with the one who imbued value into the world. In verses 23-24, David calls upon God to continue searching and knowing him, purging any anxiety or offense, and guiding him in the sure path.
Intriguingly, Psalm 139 both begins and ends with being searched and known by God. At the beginning, David says that God has searched and known him. At the end, David entreats God to continue to search and know his heart. He recognizes the pivotal nature of reflection and remembrance in directing his heart down the right path, and the requirement of God not just being involved, but shepherding the process.
All around us this season are calls to reflect on our past year and set goals for the future. Have we been good enough to make Santa’s good list, or are we too naughty? What about our New Year’s resolutions? How can we define good goals for our new year? Are we willing to share those goals with our peers, or are we worried they will judge us for forgetting to show up at the gym once February rolls around?
The call of this season (namely, reflection) is natural, and as we’ve seen, it’s good to allow it to shape us. But we would be remiss if we got stuck in the rut of the secular conversation without recognizing God’s role in the reflection process. He’s seen us and searched us before we were even born, he has a vision for our future, and our aim ought to direct us closer to him. Our first step is acknowledging that God is much more than a divine Santa. If our God takes the time and care to know, assess, and reflect upon us, how much more ought we seek to know him and ourselves in return? God effortlessly knowing us well is no excuse to not seek to know ourselves or know his ways. We’re invited into the great reflection and realignment process each moment. We can enter no place that is free of the light of our God. Let us use this season of the new year to reflect and imagine how we might continue to grow in the light of Christ, challenging ourselves to cultivate habits that make reflection and remembrance—searching and knowing—part of our consistent routine.
Application
In my own personal reflection time, I’ve been blessed by the practice of SASHET. This practice derives its name from the emotions one contemplates during the practice: Sad, Angry, Scared, Happy, Excited, and Tender. To do it, I generally sit down with a journal and run over my responses to various happenings in the past couple of days (or however long it’s been since I journaled). What experiences, conversations, interactions, or general life happenings have impacted me? How did I respond to them in thought, word, or deed? Did they make me happy, scared, etc.? Could I—or should I—have done anything differently to change this reaction? And did I emerge from the situation with a renewed sense of God’s presence or his guidance?
This is very similar to the spiritual practice of “examen,” of which there are many amazing resources to engage with and learn from. Where I find SASHET uniquely helpful is its provision of categories by which to highlight specific interactions in the day and probe deeper thoughts from there. David’s strong reaction in verses 19-22 instruct us here. When we find ourselves angry, where does the anger come from? Is it indicating a passion for seeing God’s righteousness known? Is it directed towards our own selfish gain or the gain of those who are not prioritizing God’s love? Might any underlying passion be directed more appropriately in a new way as we invite God to lead us in the way everlasting?
I invite you to consider ways you might apply a habit of reflection in your daily life. How have we felt known by God? Have we made space to hear his voice and contemplate what it might be indicating to us? Are we running from him and his ways? Or are we intentionally laying down our goals to more fully align ourselves with God’s ways and values? How can we increase our own attentiveness, knowing that the sovereign God is, wonderfully, more aware of us than we can imagine? How can we find a practice like SASHET that inspires us to not only attend to our emotions, but to modify our responses to align more fully with the heart of God?
May our souls, like David’s, know well and effortlessly praise the wonderful works of God as we enter this new year.
Photo Credit: Emilee Carpenter
Julie isan engaging learner and educator with a love for inspiring groups of all sizes to learn widely and grow deeply. Presenting content that is both fascinating and fun, she enjoys bringing life to a wide range of topics, from FDA regulations, to German beer brewing history, to the beauty of Scripture expounded across eras of the church to the intricacies of sweater knitting. She is currently studying at Denver Seminary for her M. A. in New Testament, though she remains based in her beloved Cincinnati to grow roots with her amazing friends, family and church.
