God Without A Curtain

Psalm 139 pulls the curtain back, not to expose a fraud, but to reveal the God who is both larger than the universe and closer than breath. David says, “O Lord, you have searched me and you know me,” and the psalm sets the tone: God’s knowledge is not abstract data; it is personal, specific, relentless, and kind. The text says God knows when a person sits and rises, traces thoughts from afar, and even knows the word before it hits the tongue. David says God “hems me in, behind and before,” so divine knowledge is not a trap but a protective wall, a hand laid gently on a life. Such knowledge is too wonderful, too lofty, because it names the darkest corners and refuses to look away, and yet love stays.

The psalm then says there is no running and no hiding. “Where can I go from your Spirit?” reads like a map that includes the highest heavens, Sheol, the far side of the sea, and the thickest night. The cave-dark where a hand cannot be seen is daylight to God. The Jonah story echoes here: a person can book passage in the opposite direction, but God does not lose the signal. When God feels far, the line “Guess who moved?” fits the psalm’s claim that His presence is not the variable; the human heart is.

David brings God’s power close to the body. Instead of only mountains and galaxies, the text says, “You knit me together in my mother’s womb.” Divine omnipotence shows up in ligaments and eyelashes, in an unformed frame that was never hidden from Him. The psalm dignifies the person from conception forward, celebrating beauty that is not uniformity and counting a life as one of God’s wonderful works. The God who orders Orion also writes days in a book before one of them comes to be.

Then the hard lines surface. David hates what hates God, and the psalm lets rough prayers breathe. That bottom-up honesty is part of biblical worship: lay the anger down before God so it does not rule the heart. Finally, the ancient curtain imagery comes into view. The Holy of Holies once guarded worshipers from the sheer weight of glory, but in Christ the veil tore and access opened. The God who is still “holy, holy, holy” is also the Father who knows a name, is here when it seems dark, and is at work in each life. So the psalm ends where a soul must live: “Search me… test me… lead me in the way everlasting.”

Key Takeaways

• 1. God’s knowledge hems a life in [51:29] This knowledge is not a searchlight that shames but a hand that steadies. The God who knows the unspoken word also builds a wall of care behind and before, keeping a person from self-destruction. The relief comes when confession meets a love that already knew and did not leave. Reverence grows when exposure is met with mercy. [51:29]
• 2. No corner is outside His presence [58:52] The psalm’s geography leaves no blank space on the map. Heaven, Sheol, far seas, and thick night are all within His reach, which means fear’s favorite lie, “you are alone,” is untrue. When God “feels far,” repentance often closes the distance that the heart created. Assurance does not erase responsibility; it invites return. [58:52]
• 3. Divine power crafts each person [01:00:25] “Knitted” is patient language, stitch by stitch, which dignifies the body and its story. Beauty here is particular, not mass-produced, and value begins before visibility. Stewardship of creation then includes the neighbor, the unborn, the elderly, and the overlooked as wonders of God’s work. Gratitude becomes the beginning of vocation. [60:25]
• 4. The Psalms give voice to anger [01:03:52] The imprecations are not lessons in vengeance but lessons in prayer. By dragging rage into God’s light, the soul refuses to become what it hates. Spiritual warfare often looks like refusing to nurse a grievance and instead handing it over whole. Holiness grows where honesty and surrender meet. [63:52]
• 5. The torn curtain means real access [01:07:18] The barrier that once protected from glory has been opened by the crucified and risen Christ. Access does not shrink God’s holiness; it brings a sinner safely near to it. Reverence remains, but fear of rejection is gone. Nearness now looks like a Father who searches, tests, and leads into life. [67:18]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [45:26] - Opening prayer and setup
• [45:50] - Missionary kid in Japan
• [47:37] - Wizard of Oz curtain picture
• [48:47] - Holiness and sovereignty named
• [50:36] - Psalm 139 reveals the personal God
• [51:10] - Scripture reading: Psalm 139
• [53:45] - Introducing the three “omnis”
• [54:56] - Omniscience: known and hemmed in
• [57:09] - Omnipresence: no place to hide
• [59:39] - Omnipotence: God’s creative nearness
• [62:48] - Hard verses and honest prayer
• [66:19] - Holy of Holies and the veil
• [67:18] - Curtain torn in Christ
• [68:26] - Closing prayer and sending

1. How does Psalm 139 describe God’s knowledge of us? What specific actions or details does it highlight (vv. 1-4)?
2. The sermon compared Jonah’s attempt to flee from God to the psalm’s claim that “where can I flee from your presence?” ([57:09]). How does this psalm address the idea of hiding from God?
3. What metaphor does David use to describe God’s creative work in forming human life (v. 13)? How does this contrast with typical views of divine power?
4. In verses 19-22, David expresses strong emotions toward those who oppose God. How does the sermon frame this raw honesty as part of worship?

1. Why might the psalmist describe God’s knowledge as “hemming us in” (v. 5)? How could this imagery be comforting rather than restrictive?
2. The psalm says darkness is “as light” to God (v. 12). What does this reveal about His presence in our struggles or hidden struggles?
3. David says God “knit me together in my mother’s womb” (v. 13). How does this language challenge cultural attitudes about human value and dignity?
4. The sermon mentions that expressing anger to God “refuses to let us become what we hate” ([01:03:52]). Why is bringing our anger to God healthier than suppressing or acting on it?

1. When have you felt tempted to “book passage in the opposite direction” from God, like Jonah ([57:09])? What practical step could help you turn back toward His presence?
2. The psalm says God knows your unspoken words and hidden thoughts. Is there a secret or struggle you’ve been afraid to bring to Him? How might His response surprise you?
3. If God’s creative power is seen in your “ligaments and eyelashes” ([01:00:25]), how could this truth reshape how you view your body, flaws, or past pain?
4. David ends with “Search me, O God” (v. 23). What area of your life feels hardest to invite God into right now? What would it look like to trust His kindness there?
5. The sermon says, “When God feels far, guess who moved?” ([58:52]). How can you recognize and repent of ways you’ve distanced yourself from Him recently?
6. How might seeing others as “knit together” by God change the way you interact with someone you’ve overlooked or struggled to love?