Learning About Pinpoint Accuracy

You have searched me, Lord, and you know me — Psalm 139:1 NIV

            Advancements in medical technology continue to grow on a minute-by-minute basis. It is always changing and becoming more accurate in its ability to treat the health conditions which attack our bodies. If you have ever been through radiation treatment, or know someone who has, you might understand the pinpoint accuracy of the process of this successful medical treatment. For this remedy to be successful close-up images are used to create a “target”. Literally, the target area is marked by an X on the person’s body with a small, pinpoint. The same type of ink used in tattoos is permanently inserted under the skin. This allows for permanent, established guides used to line up the radiation machine accurately for each treatment. Now, the laser can hit the cancer with pinpoint accuracy. A great friend of mine had radiation treatment on her eye as a child. To this day the small, dark point marked on her temple leaves me impressed by her strength and gives me insight into what she has gone through in her beautiful life. When pinpoint accuracy is employed, we can hope the outcome will be specific, meaningful, and possibly perfect.

            Our amazing Father has this exact pinpoint accuracy in His knowledge of each of us and it is, indeed, perfect knowledge. To be known by God with this accuracy means He has a deep and thorough understanding of us as shared in Psalm 139:1 which reads, “You have searched me, Lord, and you know me”. In the Hebrew context of this verse written by King David, it implies a profound knowledge of one’s innermost being, not just merely an observation. This awareness has pinpoint accuracy; it is intimate, personal and goes beyond mere acquaintance. It hits the mark!

            To be recognized by God in this way is to be fully understood and accepted. So, when God marks us with His “X” we can be assured He can discern everything about us and not reject us! He knows everything about us and STILL loves us. He still loves us when we tell a little white lie. He continues to want us after we have been divorced and remarried several times. He wants to be with us even as we sit in a recovery program, a hospital room, or prison.

            We need to grasp ahold of this concept which can be completely mind-blowing because as finite beings it is hard to comprehend an infinite Father. But it is so worth believing. A quote I read recently put it into perspective for me. “A genuine Christian will never succeed in fleeing from God; at a certain point of his own choosing, God is certain to step in, and when he does, he will act with pinpoint accuracy.”[1] He is constantly listening to our thoughts and searching our hearts. He sees exactly where we are and cares about the struggles we are in and difficult situations we may be going through. Because of this He can provide security and peace especially in times of uncertainty or self-doubt. Being known by God is a source of comfort and assurance, as seen in John 10:14, where the Good Shepherd knows His sheep and they know Him. The words spoken fill me with great hope. They read, “I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me. (CSB)

            When we come to understand how much the Creator has searched us and knows us, we should then turn our eyes to ourselves in order to examine our hearts as He sees it. One area that is often difficult for us to examine closely is our thoughts. If we stop and take stock of our own thoughts as closely as He does, He will then lead us to a life of change in order to glorify Him. Are your thoughts anxious? Do you resent people and often talk to yourself about them in a negative way in your own mind? Do you talk about yourself negatively with guilt and shame? How often might you silently judge someone, thinking, “Well, they can’t hear me so why does it matter?” And now we know it does because whether we are at rest or in motion, God is very acquainted with each negative thought we have. These are the areas we may tend to not focus on as much as we would, say, our speech, or our actions, the things people see. Yet, God regards it all.

            We are great at trying to hide our true selves and put on a mask so others see something different. We can sometimes become pious in our outward appearance as a Christian, when inside we are behaving less then Christ like. This is when God will put His finger on something very specific and reveal an attitude, or habit, or motivation we haven’t wanted to acknowledge. We may want to continue to try and hide it, but He identifies it and is good at keeping our attention focused on it because He wants us to face it and turn to Him for help. King David finishes the prayer in Psalm 139 by praying: “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23) This should be our prayer. We should be focusing our attention on God and asking Him to show us where we are erroneous. We should make an attempt to have the same pinpoint accuracy looking inside ourselves and then turning to God for His amazing grace in support. Our unwillingness, to search ourselves, will never overrule God’s sovereign plans, but by turning to the way of the Lord and responding to the gentle nudges He gives us about our behavior, we can find a life marked by blessing. When we begin to see ourselves as He does, with the same accuracy, we will begin to enjoy a life filled with freedom from the ways of the world.

            What part of yourself do you need to see with this type of accuracy? Are there areas you perceive, which you thought you were hiding from God? He sees it already, give it over to Him. Allow Him to use His accuracy in all things to bring your life into alignment with Him so you can live a life filled with the glory of a Father who loves everything about us.

A Prayer for Today

Lord, Your grace is so good. I can’t even begin to imagine how much You love me and want me. Thank You for seeing me with an accuracy I can’t comprehend and loving me anyway. Help me to see myself with a pinpoint accuracy which will enable me to live a life of glorifying You.

Today’s Challenge

What is God directing you to see with pinpoint accuracy? Ask God to show you what He needs you to see and pray for Him to help you look at it as He does and make changes to glorify Him.

[1] Richard D. Phillips, Jonah and Michah, Reformed Expository Commentary, ed. Richard D Phillips and Philip G. Ryken (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 2010), 29-30.