Psalm 139:16-17

English Standard Version (ESV): Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!

Directions:  Choose a translation of the Bible that you easily understand, but that has depth of meaning.  I recommend that you keep a special journal just for praying the Psalms.  Try praying the Psalms for yourself before reading my version of these verses.  The point of this method is for the Spirit to speak with your heart and that you will commune with God about how your own experience relates to His word.  I only include my sample to help you understand what I mean in the steps and because it is always good for Christians to share their thoughts about God and experiences with Him.

Step 1:  Choose a verse or two from one of the Psalms and write it out in a notebook. 

Step 2: After reading a thought from the verse, begin writing your own version of that thought.  This is not exactly paraphrasing the Psalmist’s words although you can paraphrase if you wish.  This is taking the thought and applying it to your own life and changing the words to fit your own experience.  Continue writing about your experience with God until you no longer have anything more to say.

Step 3:  Go to the next thought in the verse and repeat Step 2. 

Step 4:  Continue this process until you feel satisfied that you are finished or until the verse’s thoughts are finished.

My version (verses 16-17): 

You were there in my past. You are there in my future, and You are here now. You know me in every way from my DNA to the electric currents of my brain. You watched as the cells of my embryonic form multiplied and specialized to form my heart and lungs and nose. You knew that I would some day break that nose and that at other times, I would gasp for breath in an allergic reaction and that as I aged, I would have to face decisions about taking medicine to protect my heart. You saw it all and loved every broken and perfect part of me because You saw who I could be. Knowing that You see me truly and yet still want me is precious to me beyond any treasure or gift or security that I can find in the whole of society. You have not chosen me out of ignorance. You know me on a cellular level and find me to be valuable. That is beyond price. My security lies in the truth of Your thoughts. You are capable of understanding systems and relationships beyond my comprehension from society’s interactions to the gravitational balance of the planets, yet You are not some cold calculating intellect with no compassion. Your vast intellect is accompanied by Your equally vast love. The balance of who You are is incomprehensible, yet the small part that I understand is desirable, drawing me into the welcoming embrace of Your thoughts. You know me. You know the earth. You know the universe. You know the darkness of this world and You have compassion for us. You know everything at every level. I cannot comprehend this, but I want to be in Your thoughts and have Your thoughts in me.