The Sacred Whole

Known By God

“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.
Before a word is on my tongue, you know it completely, O Lord.”
Psalm 139:1-4

What does it mean to be known by God? Are you aware that the God of the universe knows you by name? What would it mean for the Creator to be aware of every individual being. What if God not only knows us as we are now, but knew us before we formed in our mother's womb. Would it mean that God is not “up there,” but “down here.” Whatever God is, wherever God is, we are too. We have always existed and will always exist within God. We are never separate. The myriad of creation from the beginning of time, both human and non-human, are intricately woven into the fabric of the Divine. There is no such thing as separation. If we were to let that sink in, to fully penetrate our consciousness, how would we be different? If we were able to realize that all of creation, including every human being, no matter which tribe or race or ideology, have been, and will always be, inseparable strands in the web of life we have named God, would we view them differently?

Theologian Paul Tillich called God, “the ground of being.” His belief was that God is being itself, not “a being” separate from creation. I share Tillich's view of God. While we don't have complete understanding of this, and probably never will, it is awesome to consider. Psalm 139 goes on to say, “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high that I cannot attain it.” Even though we cannot understanding the true nature of the Divine, I believe it is important for us to try. It could be that by seeing ourselves as part of a sacred whole we ensure the survival of our species and this magnificent blue planet. That is my prayer.

In the Spirit,
Jane