Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them (Psalm 139:16).

David writes that God has predetermined how many days he will live. Job says much the same but applies it to everyone:

A person’s days are determined;
you have decreed the number of his months
 and have set limits he cannot exceed (Job 14:5).

Consider Jesus' words:

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (Mattew 10:29-31).

Even an insignificant sparrow, two of which could be bought in the market for a penny, does not die apart from God's knowing care. God's knowing and sovereign reach extends from the most significant to the least. 

But have we really considered what this means? Let's think about this for a moment.

God knew when we would be born (Psalm 139:15-16). God knows when we will die. In fact, the Bible says that He's even determined the number of days that we will live, whether just a few or many. And He knows not only when but also how we will die. And Jesus declares that God knows and cares about even the most insignificant part of our being, like how many hairs are on our head, which changes from moment to moment, even more so as we get older. 

Jesus spoke these words to his disciples so that they might not be afraid of the religious leaders, who sought to destroy them. He told them,

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell (Matthew 10:28).

It is God, who determines the end for everyone and everything. It is He that we ought to fear, not dangerous men, nor terrifying cirumstances. We cannot shorten or lengthen our days, for that has already been determined by God. 

Solomon writes a whole book, the Book of Ecclesiastes, about the vanity of worldly pursuits, whether for the present or for the future. Some obssess over better health or extending their mortal lives. It is vanity. Some parade their financial smarts or their business and investing acumen. It is vanity. Some live it up, trying to experience every kind of earthly pleasure and enjoyment and satisfaction they can gain while living. This too is vanity. What was Solomon's conclusion with respect to the only meaningful pursuit of any and every person? He writes at the end of Ecclesiastes,

Now all has been heard;
    here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
    for this is the duty of all mankind.
For God will bring every deed into judgment,
    including every hidden thing,
    whether it is good or evil (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).

Friends, I confess that I am still spinning the wheels of my life with vain pursuits. My head has not persuaded my will to act any differently. Only baby steps toward meaningful pursuits have found any success for me. I am always in danger of falling back into the pursuit of vain things. By God's grace, with every little progress I make toward a lifestyle of fearing God and keeping His commandments, I hope to share this with you. Perhaps you may glean some things from my struggle to assist in your pursuit of a Christ-centered, God-exalting and truly meaningful life. 

In Psalm 136 one statement is repeated in every verse: "His faithful love endures forever" (NLT). The word translated "faithful love," and in other versions "loving-kindness," "mercy," "love," "steadfast love," and "loyalty," is the Hebrew word chesed (חָ֫סֶד). It is perhaps one of the most important words, if not the most important word, in the Hebrew Bible. The closest equivalent in the New Testament is the Greek word charis, most often translated "grace." 

Chesed must not be confused with sentimental notions that often accompany words like "kindness" and "love." It certainly carries the idea of God's affection; however, it is not an affection granted to just anyone. It is always and only granted to those that have a covenant relationship with Him. The enduring nature of this relationship suggests that the Abrahamic covenant is in view (Micah 7:20), which was an unconditional and eternal covenant. For even when they were in the throws of judgment, hopeful appeal is made to this covenant relationship:

The faithful love (chesed) of the Lord never ends!
    His mercies never cease...
Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion
    because of the greatness of his unfailing love (chesed) (Lamentations 3:22, 32).

The reliability of chesed is found in the character of God, who is faithful to keep His promises (Daniel 9:4). As the Scriptures affirm: God does not lie (Numbers 23:19; Titus 1:2). God cannot lie (Hebrews 6:18). It is this very faithfulness to His promises that gives Christians hope in their daily appeals for forgiveness from sin:

But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness (1 John 1:9).

Chesed is used both of God and Israel, but when it is used of Israel, which is seldom, it is used most often of their failure and disobedience with respect to their covenant responsibilities toward God:

“O Israel and Judah,
    what should I do with you?” asks the Lord.
“For your love (chesed) vanishes like the morning mist
    and disappears like dew in the sunlight.
I sent my prophets to cut you to pieces—
    to slaughter you with my words,
    with judgments as inescapable as light.
I want you to show love (chesed),
    not offer sacrifices.
I want you to know me
    more than I want burnt offerings.
But like Adam, you broke my covenant
    and betrayed my trust (Hosea 4:4-7).

When Scripture speaks of the New Covenant, which would be ratified in Christ, this same hesed is in view:

On that day I will make a covenant
    with all the wild animals and the birds of the sky
and the animals that scurry along the ground
    so they will not harm you.
I will remove all weapons of war from the land,
    all swords and bows,
so you can live unafraid
    in peace and safety.
I will make you my wife forever,
    showing you righteousness and justice,
    unfailing love (hesed) and compassion.
I will be faithful to you and make you mine,
    and you will finally know me as the Lord (Hosea 2:18-20; see also Jeremah 31:1-4).

Notice that when hesed refers to God's side of the covenant, it is unconditional and eternal; therefore, it persists even when there is failure on the human side. A good example of this is in God's covenant with David, which is just an extension of the Abrahamic Covenant and also based on God's hesed:

Long ago you spoke in a vision to your faithful people.
You said, “I have raised up a warrior.
    I have selected him from the common people to be king.
I have found my servant David.
    I have anointed him with my holy oil...
My faithfulness and unfailing love will be with him,
    and by my authority he will grow in power...
I will love him and be kind to him forever;
    my covenant with him will never end.
I will preserve an heir for him;
    his throne will be as endless as the days of heaven.
But if his descendants forsake my instructions
    and fail to obey my regulations,
if they do not obey my decrees
    and fail to keep my commands,
then I will punish their sin with the rod,
    and their disobedience with beating.
But I will never stop loving him
    nor fail to keep my promise to him.
No, I will not break my covenant;
    I will not take back a single word I said.
I have sworn an oath to David,
    and in my holiness I cannot lie:
His dynasty will go on forever;
    his kingdom will endure as the sun.
It will be as eternal as the moon,
    my faithful witness in the sky!” (Psalm 89:19-20, 24, 28-30)

It is in God's hesed that we find our hope. Even though generations of Israel failed to receive some of the benefits of God's faithful love because of their disobedience, God's faithful love persisted from generation to generation and persists even today, so that the failure of Israel did not hinder God's desire to shower His affection on the individuals of His choosing. Even when Judah went into exile, and there were no more kings to rule in Isreal, God would keep His promise through the Messiah, who would rule forever as a Davidic king in keeping with God's eternal covenant with David. 

For more discussion on hesed, I encourage you to read this article in A Theological Word Book of the Bible: click here.

Friends, let us join in the chorus of Psalm 136 and give thanks to God because "His faithful love (hesed) endures forever." The LORD God has promised us eternal life through Jesus Christ. And we know that God, who cannot lie, will fulfill His promises to us. It is in His faithfulness to His New Covenant with us, by which our sins are cleansed through the blood of Christ and we are given His righteoousness, that we have hope and peace and abounding joy. 

*strength of my salvation 140:7 * justice 140:12 * refuge * 141:5  *  righteousness 143:11 * My rock 144:1*  lovingkindness 144:2  *  My fortress 144:2* My high tower 144:2 * My deliverer 144:2 * My king: 145:1 * Praiseworthy 145:3 * Glorious splendor of your majesty 145:5 * Gracious 145:8 * Full of compassion 145:8 * Near to all who call upon him 145:18 * Will fulfill the desire of those who fear him 145:19 * Preserves all who loves him. 145: 20

So many beautiful descriptive words, and they don't nearly describe him enough. Our Father is Indescribable.

141:3-4 Is my prayer for the day: Set a guard over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips. Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, To practice wicked works with men who work iniquity; And do not let me eat of their delicacies.

Delicacies? Sin is a delicacy? When I think of sin, I think of forbidden, verboten, do not go there, etc. When I think of Chocolate, that to me is a delicacy. But it makes sense. The sin pattern that many of us get into starts out small. Harmless. Like one godiva chocolate covered strawberry is good for you, why not have two if you have a box of twenty-four? It can't hurt you, can it?

It can when you look at the mirror down the road and you have packed on about 10 pounds because you never stopped at two. You didn't stop until you ate the whole box.

And when a harmless action or word becomes a multitide of actions and words, you find yourself looking in the mirror asking when did this spiral out of control? The answer is, you left God out of the decision to act or speak. You left God behind you in the mirror and the only way to get out of the mess you have made is to turn away from the mirror and get back to God.

I want to set down this delicacy of sin and take up the righteousness of Christ, every single day in every single matter

Psalms 139 is my favorite passage in the Bible. Let's just own that God A. Created us B. Knows what we will do over the course of our lifetime. C. Knows what we are gonna say or do from moment to moment. And despite what we do in secret, God already knows what it is. He is unsurprised by man, and he has been familiar with us for thousands of years. HE LOVES ME ANYWAY!!!!! I am dirty, nasty, a worm, like the grass, a vapour, here one moment and gone the next! Why did he consider me? What did I ever do to deserve His grace?

I want to escape God sometimes. Just do what I want to, be governed by no one and tied down by nothing. Every time I do that, I pretty much royally mess up. We can run, but we can't hide. That's the best characteristic of God. He started out by creating me and making me someone utterly unique. V 13 I will praise Him because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. So even in the womb, a secret place, a hidden place from the visible eye, I am not hidden from God.

Im gonna paraphrase from the HCSB Apologetics Bible the standout verses in this passage.

v. 7-12 SAYS Where can I go to get away from God? Where can I escape you? If I go to heaven, you are there. If I make my bed in sheol, You're here. If I live in the east, west, or anywhere, hey, your right and left hands are still guiding me. If I said Im hidden in the darkness, the light inside of me will still shine.

Listen to what v. 5 and 6 say: this sums up this passage and my thoughts perfectly:

You have encircled me; you have placed your hand on me. This extraordinary knowledge is beyond me. It is so high, I cannot attain it.

So everything I will ever do has already been written in God's book (v 16) 

V 17 says God, your thoughts toward me are kind of difficult to read, and I don't get it! If I counted how you think toward me, it would outnumber all the sand on the beach! When I sleep, you are here. When I wake up, you're here!

Search me, God, know my heart. test me and know my trouble. See if there is anything offensive inside me; lead me in the everlasting way. V.23- 24