Psalms 139 | A David Psalm

God, investigate my life;
get all the facts firsthand.
I’m an open book to you;
even from a distance, you know what I’m thinking.
You know when I leave and when I get back;
I’m never out of your sight.
You know everything I’m going to say
before I start the first sentence.
I look behind me and you’re there,
then up ahead and you’re there, too—
your reassuring presence, coming and going.
This is too much, too wonderful—
I can’t take it all in!
Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit?
to be out of your sight?
If I climb to the sky, you’re there!
If I go underground, you’re there!
If I flew on morning’s wings
to the far western horizon,
You’d find me in a minute—
you’re already there waiting!
Then I said to myself, “Oh, he even sees me in the dark!
At night I’m immersed in the light!”
It’s a fact: darkness isn’t dark to you;
night and day, darkness and light, they’re all the same to you.
Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
you formed me in my mother’s womb.
I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking!
Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
I worship in adoration—what a creation!
You know me inside and out,
you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
The days of my life all prepared
before I’d even lived one day.
Your thoughts—how rare, how beautiful!
God, I’ll never comprehend them!
I couldn’t even begin to count them—
any more than I could count the sand of the sea.
Oh, let me rise in the morning and live always with you!
And please, God, do away with wickedness for good!
And you murderers—out of here!—
all the men and women who belittle you, God,
infatuated with cheap god-imitations.
See how I hate those who hate you, God,
see how I loathe all this godless arrogance;
I hate it with pure, unadulterated hatred.
Your enemies are my enemies!
Investigate my life, O God,
find out everything about me;
Cross-examine and test me,
get a clear picture of what I’m about;
See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong—
then guide me on the road to eternal life.

Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

Genuine Authority Is Not Authoritarianism

Authentic leaders exercise their authority to empower others; firmness is tempered with compassion. Without the leadership of legitimate wise-kings [ with healthy inner kings connected to the Invisible/Sacred King, ] the hero/warrior energy in a culture becomes self-destructive.

Young heroes/warriors who’ve experienced destructive leaders, if committed to wholeness, will have to spend precious time/energy restoring internal/external damage. That golden time/energy could have been spent building the “Eternal Kingdom,” which encompasses the healthy growth, maturity and glory of all the nations.

Whole: “. . . containing all the elements properly belonging; complete; undivided; in one piece; . . . pertaining to all aspects of human nature, especially one’s physical, intellectual, and spiritual development.”

Young individuals who’ve been affected by destructive leaders will also have to take responsibility to repair their ability to reconnect with older wise-kings and sages, as they reclaim their connection to the Eternal/Solar King. Otherwise, they may end up becoming exactly like the malevolent individuals who’ve affected them negatively during the fundamentally important stages of their growth process.

When one shines brightly, it doesn’t mean another can’t shine. One’s greatness and glory doesn’t diminish the splendor of another. When one becomes magnificent, that one is overtly and subliminally giving permission to others to pursue their own greatness.

Ronald Reagan put some of his thoughts into words in regards to this concept when referring to the USA: “America is a shining city upon a hill whose beacon light guides freedom-loving people everywhere.” | “… The eyes of the people are upon us.” — Kennedy

Many times, insecure leaders are not encouraging and nurturing of the ‘shining’ and growth of their own self and of others, under the disguise of false humility. Young individuals are doing right for themselves and for the ‘greater whole’ when making the decision to distance themselves from unhealthy leadership and from places and alliances that attack, discourage or do not support their multidimensional growth.



The King archetype in its fullness possesses the qualities of order, of reasonable and rational patterning, of integration and integrity in the masculine psyche. It stabilizes chaotic emotion and out-of-control behaviors. It gives stability and centeredness. It brings calm. And in its “fertilizing” and centeredness, it mediates vitality, life-force, and joy. It brings maintenance and balance. It defends our own sense of inner order, our own integrity of being and of purpose, our own central calmness about who we are, and our essential unassailability and certainty in our masculine identity. It looks upon the world with a firm but kindly eye. It sees others in all their weakness and in all their talent and worth. It honors them and promotes them. It guides them and nurtures them toward their own fullness of being. It is not envious, because it is secure, as the King, in its own worth. It rewards and encourages creativity in us and in others. …

This is the voice that affirms, clearly and calmly and with authority, the human rights of all. This is the energy that minimizes punishment and maximizes praise. This is the voice from the Center, the Primeval Hill within every man.

Moore, Robert. King, Warrior, Magician, Lover: Rediscovering the Archetypes of the Mature Masculine


Definition of the word WHOLE extracted from Dictionary.com