Psalm 139:7-12
Where could I go to escape from your Spirit or from your sight?
If I were to climb up to the highest heavens, you would be there.
If I were to dig down to the world of the dead you would also be there.
Suppose I had wings like the dawning day and flew across the ocean.
Even then your powerful arm would guide and protect me.
Or suppose I said, "I'll hide in the dark until night comes to cover me over.”
But you see in the dark because daylight and dark are all the same to you.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
I was sharing with a group of friends recently about how children take things so literally, and often they don’t understand concepts like “the blood of Jesus,” or “How can Jesus live in my heart – how does He get in there?” One of my friends said she heard about a child who leaned over to his mother in church and said, “If this is God’s house, why ain’t He ever home?”
I know, I know… it’s probably just a joke. But let’s give it a serious look for a minute or two. Just exactly where is God? More importantly, where is He in your world? Do you find Him in your church sanctuary on Sunday? Do you feel His presence with you every day? Do you have such an intimate relationship with God that you know beyond the shadow of a doubt that He is always with you? Do you get it that you could never hide from God… even if you wanted to do so?
Have you ever looked at the moon on a bright, clear night and considered that people halfway around the world are seeing the same bright orb in the sky? When a Sunday-school student of mine was deployed to Afghanistan, we talked about the moon … how our God made that moon and positioned it so that we could both see it! Our God is big enough to do a lot of things… and just as He is able to position the moon, He is able to follow us wherever we go and be with us at all times.
The trouble is… some of us keep trying to hide from God, for a number of reasons. Some of us want to “test the waters” and try a few things we know are sinful. Some of us feel we can’t measure up to what God desires for us or expects of us… so we want to “pull the covers over our head” and disappear from Him. Still others have decided that they know what is best for themselves… better than God does… and they wish He would just leave them alone.
The truth is… God is always at home… and He wants to be wherever we are. And we should want God to be with us at all times. He’s not interested in making us feel badly about ourselves. He wants to give us courage, strength, peace and comfort. God doesn’t want us to hide from Him or try to make a go of it alone. He knows the struggles and challenges that we face, and He wants to face them with us! And just like the Psalmist made clear… we really can’t hide from God in the first place. So why not invite Him into our heart and take advantage of the love, grace and mercy He offers?!
God loves us so much. He doesn’t want to nag and pester us to love and serve Him in return. That’s really not how He rolls! Why don’t you invite Him to be where you are and find out for yourself just how amazing life can be when you recognize His presence! Isn’t it time you gave God a permanent residence in your heart? Isn’t it time you recognized God and welcomed Him home?
©2011 Debbie Robus
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