You May Always Not Feel It, But God is With You
Scripture Reading
O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name,
make known his deeds among the peoples.
Sing to him, sing praises to him;
tell of all his wonderful works.
Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
Seek the Lord and his strength;
seek his presence continually.
Remember the wonderful works he has done,
his miracles, and the judgements he has uttered,
O offspring of his servant Abraham,
children of Jacob, his chosen ones.When he summoned famine against the land,
and broke every staff of bread,
he had sent a man ahead of them,
Joseph, who was sold as a slave.
His feet were hurt with fetters,
his neck was put in a collar of iron;
until what he had said came to pass,
the word of the Lord kept testing him.
The king sent and released him;
the ruler of the peoples set him free.
He made him lord of his house,
and ruler of all his possessions,
to instruct his officials at his pleasure,
and to teach his elders wisdom.
Praise the Lord!
Reflection
Once, as a child, I heard Psalm 139 read from the pulpit. The King James Version was used and when the pastor reached the eighth verse I took notice. That verse reads, “If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.” My imagination lit up. Mom was always telling us to make up our beds before leaving for school and so the image of making one’s bed in hell really hit home. But, larger than that, and deeply mysterious to me, was the idea that God is present even in hell.
The present psalm instructs us to call on the Lord in all circumstances, to remember the works of his hands, to seek God’s presence continually. It evokes the story of Joseph, who passed through the hell of family rejection, being treated as a commodity, and years of physical abuse. Yet even then God was working, was keeping his promise to Israel, and was present.
Joseph’s hell was not necessarily God’s will—not everything is. And Joseph did not roll over and resign himself to his situation. Instead, through dint of will and great cleverness, he found his way out. Yet his servitude was not for nothing. As he says to his family in Genesis 50.20, “Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today.” Despite our tendencies to harm one another, God may turn all circumstances—even our hellish ones—for the good.
If you are feeling rejected or alone or abandoned or forgotten in these days of isolation and fear, please know that God is present with you. Seek him continually. God wishes not for you to suffer, but that you might seek his help in making the best choices you can today. Trust that, one day, you may see that your present circumstances are even now being worked for the good, that we shall all be preserved, and that all manner of things shall be well.
Exercise
God is present, in this moment, with you, with our church, with our community. So seek his presence. Call someone who is sick or alone. Find a quiet place to pray and listen. In your everyday comings and goings, whether you are taking a walk, creating something, writing a letter, or making your bed, be deliberate in your search for God.
Paul Wallace, Pastor for Adult Education, First Baptist Church of Decatur