O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from far away.
You search out my path and my lying down,
and are acquainted with all my ways.
All-knowing God, it is frightening to me that you know me so well. My every thought is laid bare, even those I am ashamed of. I can not hide my deepest wishes and desires from you, even those that are sinful. My secrets are not secrets to you. Everything I think and everything I do is an open book; I am naked before you.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
O Lord, you know it completely.
You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is so high that I cannot attain it.
Even in my nakedness, I feel safe with you. You know my truth; I cannot lie to you as I do to myself and others. You set boundaries for me, knowledge of right and wrong, so I might walk the path you have set before me. You do not abandon me to the wiles of the world. I am not cast into the wind-tossed sea without a life preserver.
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, you are there.
If I take the wings of the morning,
and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me fast.
Why do I run from you? Why do I think I can escape your knowing eye? It is your hand that saves me. Why would I turn away from your grace and mercy? When life drains from me every drop and I am weary with the burdens I carry, you lift me out of the mire and hold me close. Why would I turn my back on a love so deep, so constant, so needed?
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light around me become night,”
even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is as bright as the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
None of my attempts to hide from you will work, God. Your light shines on me every minute of every day. None of my blemishes, my sins, my wrongdoings can extinguish that light. The glittering, beaconing glare of the world cannot outshine the beauty of your presence. You have chosen to love me and I choose to love you. It is this love that will see me through until I am with you for eternity.
Liturgy for This and That 