O LORD, you have searched me and known me! ²You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. ³You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. —Psalm 139:1-3
The Psalms lead with affections. This makes them unique in the Bible. John Piper writes,
[The Psalms] do not just invite the emotion of the heart in response to revealed truth. They put the emotion on display. They are not just commanding; they are contagious. We are not just listening to profound ideas and expressed affections. We are living among them in their overflow. We are walking in the counsel of God-besotted wisdom, and standing in the way of amazed holiness, and sitting in the seat of jubilant admiration.
The psalmists know that God is sovereign, but also good and faithful. Piper says, "They know that, if they trust him, he will act on their behalf (Psalm 37:5)."
How does memorizing Psalm 139 fuel our faith in Christ? How do emotions cooperate with God’s sanctifying work in our lives? Read this excerpt from John Piper’s book Shaped by God: Thinking and Feeling in Tune With the Psalms and delight in God's gift to us of the Psalms.