Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
9 If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me. Psalm 139:7-10
Psalm 139 is a very personal psalm we believe to be written by David. It has been called ‘the crown of the psalms.’ And it is one of the best, most beloved of all the psalms of all Scripture passages.
The structure of the psalm is a prayer broken into two parts: 1) praise (vv. 1–18) and 2) petitions (vv. 19–24). Take note that the praise comes first and gets the most attention. I know when I pray I tend to rush past the praise and get right to the request. “Ok, God, now that I have that ‘you are great and wonderful’ part out of the way, here is what I need you to do for me.” Have you noticed that in your prayer life as well? We have a tendency to rush to God with our petitions and to spend most of our time on them.
David reminds us in this Psalm why we need to take time out of our busyness to give God glory. God is to be praised because he is present everywhere, that is a foreign concept for us. We have a hard time wrapping our minds around a God who is everywhere, sees everything. While that may give us pause for concern, what it should do is give us reason to be comforted. The psalmist points that God is behind us and before us (v. 5). That no matter how hard we try we cannot escape from Him. To make his point the psalmist offers us places to hide from the presence of God, heaven (v. 8), hell (v. 8), the uttermost parts of the sea (v. 9), darkness (v. 11)—but none of those places will provide cover. We find no respite, no hiding place. All our efforts are of no avail. By using this description, David is helping us to find comfort and peace in the inescapable nature of God.
Bishop Lajos Ordass of the Lutheran Church in Hungary discovered that very nature of God. He was imprisoned for more than six years because he protested Communistic oppression. He was placed in solitary confinement in a small cell with no windows. His captors were trying to break his resistance by depriving him of contact with anyone. After he was finally released, he said, “They thought I was alone in my cell. They were wrong. The risen Christ was present in that room, and in communion, with Him, I was able to prevail.”
Jesus said, “I will be with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) The Bible promises that no matter how bad the circumstances in our lives get, God is still there with us. Of course, the rest of the story is that no matter how bad we get, he is there with us. When you read the story of the prodigal son, or the story of Samson, or the story of Jonah, you realize that you just can’t run from God. He won’t let go of you. There’s an old hymn that says:
O love that wilt is not let me go, I rest my weary soul in thee I give thee back the life I owe That in thine ocean depths its flow may richer, fuller be.
The story is told of a gifted speaker a queenly soul from a distant land. Her message was challenging and compassionate. In dealing with the turbulence of the times, she focused on God’s guidance and support. Toward the close of her address, she shared a dream. In the dream, she was running from danger, and in the coastal sands, she observed her tracks and those she thought were God’s. He was ever so close and protective. Having survived many threatening experiences, at last, sorrow struck while on her spiritual pilgrimage. The trauma moved her to talk boldly with God, saying, “You were with me through danger and disappointment. I could see Your tracks as You accompanied me. But when death came to the family, You seemed to have disappeared. Where were You?”
“My child,” God gently replied, “you saw only one set of tracks because I was carrying you!”[1]
By understanding the vast reach of our God we find comfort in the comfort and protection of our God. God is big and powerful enough that it is impossible for us to hide from him. Which also means that it is impossible for God to unaware of our need for him.
[1] Jones, G. C. (1986). 1000 illustrations for preaching and teaching (p. 144). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
Very inspiring post. Thank you.
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Thank you for taking the time to give feedback. Have a blessed day.
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This is an old song that I love. Psalm 139 by Lamb. https://youtu.be/iUZ3w4A4gRE
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I will have to check it out thanks.
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Reblogged this on Talmidimblogging.
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“They thought I was alone in my cell. They were wrong. The risen Christ was present in that room, and in communion, with Him, I was able to prevail.”
That’s straight-up inspiring. God’s omnipresence isn’t a threat; it’s a comfort!
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“Funny” how the prodigal son keeps resurfacing this week. Early in the week, I heard TD Jakes’ sermon titled “The Heart of the Matter,” last night I watched John K. Jenkins’ “Recovery from Bad Decisions” series, and now: “When you read the story of the prodigal son, or the story of Samson, or the story of Jonah, you realize that you just can’t run from God. He won’t let go of you.”
I confess to recently telling someone, “I wish there were someplace we could run away from God,” because He wants me to do something (actually, a couple of somethings) I don’t want to do.
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I get that too. Wanting to be a Jonah but wanting to avoid the whale experience.
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I feel like what God wants me to do is way worse than the whale. But I also feel like I need to stop voicing dissent, or I’m never going to get out of the mess I’m already in. Being a Christian is hard.
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Find comfort in the fact that what God is asking you to do he will or has given you the gifts, talents and abilities to accomplish. And you have behind you the full weight and power of the Almighty supporting you.
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Ah, but he has not yet given me the desire or the patience. 😉 I will keep what you said in mind though and hope the rest arrives in a Fed Ex package soon. Thanks! ❤
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Praying for peace and courage for you.
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Thank you!
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I think people have become to busy to notice God..
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You are probably spot on with that observation.
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this is awesome. people think God gives up on them or doesn’t care about their situation. ive been there. its good to let people know we are Gods priority
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Yes we are God’s number one concern. How comforting.
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