Psalm 139 and the God Who Sees You | A Book Review of Known & Loved by Glenna Marshall
- Amber Thiessen
- Jul 9
- 6 min read
There are times when I’ve wondered whether I’m just a little too much—or a little too different—for the people around me. Whether it's the things I love, the way I think, or how I process the world, I’ve felt the quiet fear of being misunderstood.
So when I came across Glenna Marshall’s Known & Loved, the title alone stirred something in me. What if being fully known didn’t lead to rejection... but love?
This journey through Psalm 139 teaches us exactly that!
Psalm 139 and the God Who Sees You | A Book Review of Known & Loved by Glenna Marshall
Content
Content
Purpose of the Book
Psalm 139 praises the God of all creation because we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Glenna takes this psalm verse by verse to show us what God’s love means and how it transforms us, even when (or especially when) we feel unloved or unseen.
"That is the invitation of this book. To consider His love. To think deeply about His knowledge. To feel secure in its strength." (p.15)
Table of Contents
Introduction: Who Is This Book Really About?
1. Known to the Core: Does God Even Like Me?
2. Known and Safe: Why Can’t I Know Everything?
3. Known When You Want to Run: What if I’m Too Ashamed to Face God?
4. Known in the Dark: Does God See My Hidden Pain?
5. Known in Body and Soul: Why Is My Body Like This?
6. Known Among Many: Will Anyone Remember Me?
7. Known When the World Is Against You: Should I Hate God’s Enemies?
8. Known and Kept: What if I Fear Falling Away?
9. Fully Known and Fully Loved: Will God Always Love Me?
Summary
Psalm 139 contains just 24 verses, but Glenna Marshall draws us deep into its richness over the course of nine reflective chapters. Each chapter centers on a probing question—ones we may not have said out loud but likely carry quietly in the back of our minds.
Does God like me? In verses 1–4, we encounter a God who knows everything about us—past and present. This kind of intimate knowledge can feel exposing or even unsettling, but Glenna reminds us of the security we have in Christ: “In Christ you are known and not despised” (p. 32).
Why can’t I know everything? Verses 5–6 reveal that God is both near and all-knowing. His omnipresence and omniscience belong to Him alone. While the pursuit of knowledge isn’t wrong, it can sometimes keep us from simply trusting the One who knows all things.
What if I’m too ashamed to face God? In verses 7–10, we see our instinct to run from God when confronted with our sin. But as Glenna gently reminds us, “Our response to our sin should never be to run from Jesus. Rather, we should always run to Him. Run to Him and sin no more” (p. 53). This is the gospel: that in our sin, He offers forgiveness and reconciliation.
Does God see my hidden pain? In seasons of sorrow and isolation, we long to know that God sees us. Verses 11–12 affirm His faithful presence even in our darkest places.
Why is my body like this? Verses 13–16 speak of our bodies—fearfully and wonderfully made—yet Glenna acknowledges the frustration we often carry when our bodies malfunction, suffer, or age. She invites us to the challenge of praise even in brokenness, knowing God is at work in both body.
Will anyone remember me? Verses 17–18 lift our eyes from the world’s standards of legacy to God's perspective. Even when we’re overlooked or forgotten by people, a life lived faithfully before the Lord is never insignificant.
Should I hate God’s enemies? As the psalm shifts in tone (vv. 19–22), Glenna invites readers to consider how to pray for justice without being consumed by hatred. We can trust God's justice and show mercy with a gospel lens, even toward those who have wounded us.
What if I fear falling away? In verses 23–24, we’re reminded that sanctification is a work of God’s grace. He sees our ongoing struggle with sin and holds us fast. “You do not have to live in constant fear that you are losing God’s love. His grip is stronger than yours” (p. 135).
Will God always love me? Glenna closes by pointing to Romans 8:37, where we are assured that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ. We are more than conquerors through Him who loves us.
My Take: When You Long to Be Known and Still Loved
She sits across from me, her gentle but nervous smile giving way to a flood of quiet ache. I ask questions and listen. Slowly, patterns begin to emerge—difficulty falling asleep, anxious feelings in social situations, an overwhelming desire to avoid being seen.
At night, her thoughts turn harsh. She replays the day’s conversations, worried she may have offended someone. She wonders if her words or actions hurt others. She spirals: “That was such a dumb thing to say... Why did I do that?” Her internal voice grows sharp and condemning.
Because she worries about what others think, she begins to withdraw. She hides parts of herself. She avoids vulnerability even with those closest to her. And in that isolation, she begins to despair.
This isn’t just one woman. I’ve met many like her. And if I’m honest, I’ve been her too.
There are times when I’ve wondered whether others would accept all of who I am—my quirks, my interests, even my requests for prayer. I’ve held back from sharing, even in friendships and ministry contexts, unsure of how it might change how others see me.
In marriage, this has been an ongoing place of growth. In our early years, my husband and I expected one another to change. We grew annoyed with each other’s differences. But over time—by God’s grace—we’ve learned to serve one another out of deep knowing. And that has become a deeper, truer love.
Tim Keller puts it perfectly: “To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God.”
We despair of ourselves, while God already knows us—completely—and still loves us. He invites us into relationship, not on the basis of our perfection, but because of His.
That’s what Glenna Marshall’s book Known & Loved invites us to discover: the comfort of God’s intimate knowledge of us, the security of His unwavering love, and the courage to believe it’s true.
Here’s a few reflective questions for you to consider:
Where are you tempted to hide—either from others or from God—and what would it look like to bring that into the light of His love?
Are you living like you’re loved by God—or like you still have to earn it?
What parts of yourself have you been withholding, and how might believing you are fully known and truly loved begin to change that?
This week, could you risk being honest with someone—or with God—about what’s really going on in your heart?
Ask yourself: Do I really believe God knows me completely and still loves me fully? Why or why not?
My Recommendation
If any of the chapter questions stir something in your heart, I highly recommend picking up this book! Psalm 139 is a beautiful passage that speaks into our deepest struggles—when we feel unseen, unloved, or alone. Glenna writes with clarity, tenderness, and biblical depth. Her books have become must-haves on my shelf, and Known & Loved is no exception.
Quick Stats
# of Pages: 176
Level of Difficulty: Easy
My Rating: 5 stars
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Scriptures About God’s Love
But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Rom.5:8)
So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. (1 John 4:16)
The Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you. (Jer. 31:3)
Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever. (Ps. 136:26)
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*A big thanks to Moody Publishers for the complimentary copy of this book and the opportunity to post an honest review!