The Compass

       There are a lot of things that are invisible in the world in which we live.  I remember as a kid that my Father taught me how to make my own compass out of a magnet and a sewing needle.  Once the needle was magnetized by rubbing it on the magnet, you could let it float on water and it would turn until it would point of the North.  Magnetic lines exist in the world and point to the North Pole but you can't see them.  Nor can you see the radio waves that are going through the air right where you are sitting at this very moment.  All kinds of communications are taking place at all kinds of frequencies but you can't see them nor can you hear them until you have the right equipment.   Psalm 139:1-3 says, "O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways." 
      There is much about God that we cannot see.  In fact, most of the things about God we cannot see but we can see the results all around us.  The verses from Psalm 139 remind us of the power that God has.  He is all powerful and all knowing and all present yet we cannot see it.  It is a little like that compass that we cannot see the lines of force that are moving the needle from one direction to another.  God knows all about us including every movement and every thought even before it is on our tongue.  You might think that it is just a little scary that God knows your thoughts.  You may have hoped that no one would ever know what you are thinking but in the above passage, we find that God does know every thought in your mind.  There is nothing hid from Him even though you wish that God didn't know the thought that just came into your head.  How long can you go with just pure thoughts in your own head that do not irritate someone else or follow after the course of the world or your own flesh.  As much as we try, it seems to always include that spiritual battle that rages in the minds and bodies of people everywhere.  There may be times when we just forget that God is capable of doing these things but that doesn't change the truth.  In many ways, we can be thankful that God DOES know all that is going on all around us.  Those may be some of the times that He is taking care of us and we don't even know that it is going on.  Praise God today for His greatness and may we praise Him because we know that He is there.