“Where shall I go from Your Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from Your Presence? If I ascend up into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall Your Hand lead me and Your Right Hand shall hold me.”
Psalm 139:7-10
As the Bible says, there’s no place that God is not—except in the thoughts of the wicked (Ps. 10:4).
What a sublime song of praise this psalm is! No doubt David was filled with God’s Spirit as he sat down and began to compose the lyrics and melody—possibly while out tending his father’s sheep. Even now, we can envision him sitting on those hillsides. . .staring upward into the night’s star-spangled sky. . .longingly looking at the moon’s mellow glow. . .as praise erupted from the depths of his soul.
How wonderful it is when quiet moments of worship lift our hearts and minds above the fray of life unto God’s very Throne Room of Grace and Mercy (Heb. 4:16). And, how quietly our soul bows in His Presence as words of thanksgiving overflow within us because of His great Love for us.
That’s why David said, “Lord, You know everything about me and know when I sit down or rise up. You know my thoughts even before I think them. You encompass my path, hemming me into the strait-and-narrow by Your Goodness and Mercy (Ps. 23:6). And, even before I speak a word, You already know what it’ll be and the reason for my saying it. You’ve been with me in the past and will also be with me in the future, having laid Your Hand upon me. All of this knowledge is too awesome for me and it’s impossible for me to grasp it” (vv.1-6). Glory!!
How does this make you feel, Pilgrim?
It should move you to say “Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!” even now.
And, when you couple those words with today’s Manna, you’ll surely find yourself on Heaven’s Shouting Ground.
Think of it:
“Where shall we go from His Spirit?” The answer is “Nowhere,” because our God is an omnipresent God.
“Or where shall I flee from Your Presence?” The right answer is “And why would I want to?” and “Nowhere—because you’re waiting on me wherever I end up, even as you did the prodigal son that day when he fled to the far country.”
And, what about “If I ascend up into heaven. . .by climbing to the highest mountain peak or taking a ride on the space shuttle. . .You’re there. If I make my bed in the grave, You knew about it ahead of time and will one day resurrect that empty house of clay and transform it into a new body. . .or even if I take the wings of the morning. . .flying on a 767 to a remote desert island. . .or descend into the murky depths of the sea. . .You are still there. . .leading and holding me by Your right Hand.” Hallelujah!! Why not pause a few minutes right now, dear Pilgrim, and praise the Lord for His being your “Everywhere God”?
January 5, 2012
