April 21

Where can I go from your Spirit?

            O Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away. You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, O Lord, you know it completely. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high that I cannot attain it. Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light around me become night,” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day, for darkness is as light to you.

Psalm 139:1-12

           One of the great lies that we are fed by the Enemy is that we are alone.  Alone, forgotten, rejected and despised.  The Psalmist, however, reflects on the Spirit of God and how we could not get away from God even if we tried.  If we were to go to the highest mountains, He is there.  If we were to dive to the deepest depths of the sea, He is there.  If we live in the most crowded city or the most isolated rural areas, He is there.  If we are sitting in our living room with only ourselves and our children, He is there.  The school, the therapist’s office, the emergency room…He is there.

            God knows us, inside and out.  He knows our thoughts and our fears, our hopes and our dreams.  He knows what we have suffered and what we have achieved.  He knows what we do when we think no one is watching.  He knows the burdens that we carry and the lies that we have believed.  He knows our children; not just their medical history, but the truth of who they are and what they think and why they act the way that they do.

            God knows us. He knows our best and He knows our worst, not because there is a comprehensive list of our good actions and bad motivations that He consults.  He knows because He was there with us.  He laughed with us and cried for us.  He saw us wrestle with the big decisions.  He saw all the small choices that led to the life-changing moment.  He has been there, not just recording and observing.  The Spirit has been active: whispering warnings, offering encouragement, speaking when we make space to listen.

            Quiet does not happen very often in my house.  When the children are away or asleep and I happen to still be awake, I tend to create more noise.  It could be music, video games, movies or television…I will put something on.  Part of that is enjoying things that I cannot watch or listen to when the kids are around.  But part of that is also when it is quiet, my mind races and thinks through all of the things that are troubling.  Health, finances, church, school, the condition of our house, the kids’ future…everything comes tumbling down like an avalanche in the quiet and I often try to avoid it.  However, the quiet also holds the Voice and Spirit of God, eagerly waiting to engage.  The choice that I have every time is whether I will turn off the background noise, fight through the avalanche of fear and listen to what God has to say to me or whether I will go about my regular life, clinging on to the few precious moments of “me time” that my day has given to me.  I have to make that choice every single time.

            God has seen our best.  He has seen our worst…and not run away.  He is with us in every circumstance and situation, ready for us when we are ready for Him.

             

A moment to reflect:

The next time that you find some quiet, see if God has something to say before turning on entertainment.