Faith Daily Lectio Friday, October 23, 2026 Evening Psalm
Friday, October 23, 2026 · St. James of Jerusalem, Brother of Jesus and Martyr (Friday in the week of the Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 24)
Evening Psalm
Oratio (prayer)
O Lord, You have searched me and known me. As this day ends, send Your Holy Spirit as I pray Psalm 139, that I may rest in Your knowing and keeping in Jesus Christ. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Meditatio (meditation)
Psalm 139
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.
1O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.
2Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
3Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
4For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.
5Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
7Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
8If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
9If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
10Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
11If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.
12Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
13For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.
14I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
15My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
17How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
18If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.
19Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men.
20For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain.
21Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?
22I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.
23Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
24And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Consider even rereading in another translation.
You could also consider listening to this chapter, narrated:
KJV (Max McLean) · ESV (Max McLean) · NIV (dramatized)
You might read the whole reading slowly, aloud, more than once.
Consider this verse, for example:
“Search me, O God, and know my heart” (Psalm 139:23)
What other lines speak to you?
The Law "O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me" (v. 1). There is no hiding from Him: "there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether" (v. 4). That is a fearful thing for sinners. David ends by praying, "see if there be any wicked way in me" (v. 24), and we know that there is.
The Gospel The God who knows everything about you is the God who formed you: "I am fearfully and wonderfully made" (v. 14). He does not turn away from what He sees. Even "if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there" (v. 8). Christ has gone through death and the grave for you and risen, so that nothing can take you from His hand: "thy right hand shall hold me" (v. 10). And "when I awake, I am still with thee" (v. 18).
Prayer O Lord, I confess that there is wickedness in me that I cannot hide from You. Forgive me for Jesus' sake. Lead me in the way everlasting, and hold me with Your right hand. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Tentatio (trial)
Night can bring the feeling that darkness covers everything. The Psalm answers, "the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day" (v. 12). Under trial it may help to remember, as you lie down, that no dark place is dark to God, and that you will wake still in His keeping.
Evening prayer Lord, as I lie down, let the night shine as the day around me. Search my heart, keep me in Your hand, and lead me in the way everlasting. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version.
My church home: Peace Lutheran Church, McMurray, PA. Looking for a church? See About Daily Lectio.
