You Can't Get Away from God
Psalm 139:1-18
For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.
You have searched me, Lord,
and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
you, Lord, know it completely.
You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with you.
Do you feel alone? It’s your first month at college away from home. You’re struggling to meet new people. You’re not sure if you can call the people you’ve met “friends” yet. Your dorm room feels tiny compared to your room now sitting empty at home. You feel like you’re calling Mom and Dad more often than you should, but you just can’t help it. You feel so alone.
It’s 5 pm. It’s the time you’d normally drive home from work, but you’ve been working from home for the past six months. You haven’t seen your coworkers face to face in such a long time. Your house feels empty, even though you’re there all the time. Your pets provide some good company, but you just long for a conversation with someone at a quiet restaurant or a beautiful park. You spend way more time watching TV or surfing the internet than you used to. But you just can’t help it. You feel so alone.
Your house is full of people. But your husband cozies up on the couch with his cell phone instead of with you. Your kids hide in their rooms. You spend all day at work, but human interaction there is limited. You wonder how anyone can feel so alone when there are so many people in your life. But you do. You feel so alone.
You haven’t been to church in months. Not because you don’t want to. But because it’s too dangerous right now. It was the only time you really got out of the house. Otherwise, not much has changed. The kids still don’t call that often. How much you’d love to hear your grandkids’ voices! You’ve lost touch with friends. You feel so alone.
God is with you. You’ve heard that before. But God is everywhere. So, of course, he’s with you. Does that really stem the lonely feelings that sometimes pour out in tears?
God is with you. But what does that mean? People can be with you all the time, but that doesn’t mean you don’t feel lonely. Sometimes, just presence isn’t enough.
“Be present” is a common slogan these days. It doesn’t just mean being there. It means being there and making a difference. That’s what God does.
He knows you. “You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.” He knows everything about you. He knows that you’re kind of scared about being away from Mom and Dad. He knows what thoughts and feelings are getting bottled up inside without someone to share them with. He knows how much you miss your kids and your grandkids. He knows. He understands.
You can’t get away from God. “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.” You may have dreaded every moment of staying home alone. But God has been content to be there with you. Why? Because that is where you are. You may have crossed state lines for a new school, a new job, a new home, but God didn’t stay behind. He went with you.
He’s known you your whole life. “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand—when I awake, I am still with you.”
This is how our God operates. Unlike any other god invented by human beings, this God wants to be with his people. He’s not content to just stay up in heaven. Before Adam and Eve sinned, he walked with them in the garden in the cool of the day. When his people wandered in the wilderness, God went before them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. When his people built his house, God's presence filled the temple.
Even his ultimate promise, his promise of salvation, was a promise to “be present.” God himself came down from heaven. God himself walked on earth. Among all the names for God, how striking is this one! Immanuel! God with us!
Even now, he is Immanuel—God with us. From 1 Corinthians 6:19, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” From John 14:23, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.” Where you go, God goes. Where you stay, God stays. He’s not content to leave you even for a moment.
You can’t get away from God. God refuses to get away from you. He doesn’t hide. He’s not distant. God himself is present.