Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

Today's reading titled, God Knows Your Story, was written by Cindy Hess Casper.

As I drove home after lunch with my best friend, I thanked God out loud for her. She knows me and loves me

in spite of things I don't love about myself. She's one of a small circle of people who accept me as I am,

my quirks, habits, and screw-ups. Still, there are parts of my story I resist sharing even with her and others that I love,

times where I've clearly not been the hero, times I've been judgmental or unkind or unloving.

But God does know my whole story. He's the one I can freely talk to, even if I'm reluctant to talk with others.

The familiar words of Psalm 139 describe the intimacy we enjoy with our sovereign king. He

knows us completely. He's familiar with all our ways. He invites us to come to him with our

confusion, our anxious thoughts,

and our struggles with temptation. When we're willing to yield completely to him, he reaches out

to restore and rewrite the parts of our story that make us sad because we've wandered from him.

God knows us better than anyone else ever can, and still

he loves us. When we daily surrender ourselves to him and seek to know him more fully,

he can change our story for his glory. He's the author who's continuing to write it.

Our devotional scripture reading today is from Psalm 139, verses 1 through 6, and 23 through 24.

You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I

rise. You perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down. You are familiar

with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue, you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before,

and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

And picking up at verse 23, 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. Let's pray. Precious Father, we thank you for loving us as your dear children, despite the times that we've

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