God's Ever-Presence
Scripture Reading
1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from far away.
3 You search out my path and my lying down,
and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
O Lord, you know it completely.
5 You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is so high that I cannot attain it.7 Where can I go from your spirit?
Or where can 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 settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light around me become night,”
12 even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is as bright as the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
Reflection
The human experience in the biblical story has been framed as orientation, disorientation, and re-orientation. It’s when life is going along just fine and dandy, then something happens that turns our world upside down. Eventually, we adjust to the new reality and get back to fine and dandy.
Right now it seems as if we are all going through a massive dis-orientation. The COVID-19 disease caused by the coronavirus has disrupted each of our lives, causing us to isolate and quarantine in our homes, or to go to extreme lengths to protect ourselves and others if we go out.
We are living in a wilderness where we don’t know what to do, or think, or feel. We don’t feel safe around other people, yet we long to share the emotional warmth of human contact with others. We feel awkward wearing a mask and avoiding other people, but we are afraid not to.
Every day the virus affects more and more lives, and yet, the dis-orientation in which we currently live makes us want to go back to the familiar routines of Egypt, where at least we knew what life was supposed to be like (Exodus 16:1-8).
Knowing that the virus is around us everywhere, even though we cannot see it, gives us deep fear and anxiety. But, in our fear and anxiety, we are not left alone and forsaken. Psalm 139 offers a poem of rich beauty about God’s intimate nearness and presence with us.
In the midst of our dis-orientation, the everpresent Spirit of God is our constant stability. Our anxious and fearful spirits find rest and peace, knowing we can trust that God’s hand hems us in, behind and before (v.5), leads us and holds us (v. 10).
The daily news headlines proclaim ever-increasing numbers of illnesses, hospitalizations, and death around the world. We cannot escape nor deny the virus. In fear we cry out, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light around me become night (v. 11).”
When reality is overwhelming, the psalmist reminds us that no matter where we are or what life around us is like, God is everpresent with us. The faithful presence of God’s Spirit with us calls us to pray with the psalmist that “even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day, for darkness is as light to you (v. 12).”
No matter what dis-orientation you are going through, always remember: do not be afraid, God is everpresent with you.
Exercise
Read Psalm 139:1-12 slowly, listening for God’s Spirit to speak to the fear and anxiety in your heart.
What word or phrase speaks to your dis-orientation today?
How does that word or phrase intersect with your life? Do you find comfort in God’s presence, or does it increase your anxiety?
In what ways will you respond to this word from God, spoken to you today?
Sit silently, allowing the peace of God which exceeds our understanding to give you peace and rest.
Greg Smith, Director of Legacy Ministry, First Baptist Church of Decatur