‘O Lord , you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord . You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand! I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night— but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you. You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me! O God, if only you would destroy the wicked! Get out of my life, you murderers! They blaspheme you; your enemies misuse your name. O Lord , shouldn’t I hate those who hate you? Shouldn’t I despise those who oppose you? Yes, I hate them with total hatred, for your enemies are my enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.’ Psalms 139:1-24 (NLT)
It was the middle of the night, and I was sitting at the International Terminal, waiting to board my plane. I was young, and it was my first international trip. I was traveling with a partner, but she and I had not met until the journey began. As I imagined traveling to the other side of the planet, I felt very small and very, very alone.
But then a long-ago memorized passage came to my mind: Where can I go from your presence? If I rise on the wings of dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me.
I boarded the plane and took my seat. The aircraft finally took off, flying into the clouds just as the sun peeked over the horizon: if I rise on the wings of dawn…
Hours and hours later, we touched down on another continent, oceans away: if I settle on the far side of the sea…
What an incredible source of comfort and strength it is to know that the Creator is here, present, no matter where we might go or what we might do.
Remember this, today: God is here.
from All Shall Be Well: Awakening To God’s Presence