Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?

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, behold, You are there.
⁹ If I take the wings of the dawn,
If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
¹⁰ Even there Your hand will lead me,
And Your right hand will lay hold of me.
¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me,
And the light around me will be night,”
¹² Even the darkness is not dark to You,
And the night is as bright as the day.
Darkness and light are alike to You.

¹³ For You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;
¹⁶ Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.

¹⁷ How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸ If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.
When I awake, I am still with You.

¹⁹ O that You would slay the wicked, O God;
Depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed.
²⁰ For they speak against You wickedly,
And Your enemies take Your name in vain.
²¹ Do I not hate those who hate You, O Lord?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?
²² I hate them with the utmost hatred;
They have become my enemies.

²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me and know my anxious thoughts;
²⁴ And see if there be any hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way.

In this Psalm from today's daily reading in the One Year Bible(link available on links page of this site), David the psalmist writes of God's omnipresence and omniscience. David experienced many highs and lows throughout His life. He was taken from the fields as a young man tending sheep and brought before the prophet Samuel where he was annointed as God's choice to be king and lead Israel. When God chose David rather than his seven brothers He said this about him to Samuel;  “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart(1 Samuel 16:7). David's life continued to be a series of highs and lows. He went from conquering hero who slayed the giant Goliath  living in the kings palace to living in caves being hunted by the king. 

Through it all, the highs and lows, David knew God was with him. He was confident that God knew very well the hardships that he faced and David trusted God as his deliverer. This deep and intimate relationship and knowledge of God was not forged in the crucible of David's trials. In trials our faith is tested. James 1:2-4 says, ² Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, ³ knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. ⁴ And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. But our relationship with God, our knowing Him as all knowing and present in all of our circumstances that is forged and formed in our private times of worship and devotion.

David is  known as  one  of the greatest warriors and worshipers who ever lived. Both of these traits of David were developed and nurtured in the many hours he spent as a shepherd comuning with and relying on God.

What strikes me as I read this Psalm is this, if we believe like David that God is all knowing and ever present, if we believe that God has ordained our days, if we believe the vast sum of His precious thoughts toward us would out number the sand, if we believe all that then how is it that throughout our days we turn so quickly to the fellowship of the world. How is it that our actions, attitudes and our words are as if God doesn't see or hear us at all? We need to daily remind ourselves that God not only sees all, hears all and knows all, but this very omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent God actually lives within us. How then can we think we can hide our actions or even our thoughts from Him?

Take courage though, just as God said of David, He says of us also,  God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. One thing David knew and did well in his life, because he knew God so well from his hours of devotion and worship, when he failed, and David failed many times in his life, when he failed he ran to God not from Him. David was quick to repent and return to the God he knew and loved, the God who knew and loved him. The same God who knows and loves you.

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit forgive me for the foolish ways I act and speak, even think as if You would not know. I desire to know You more fully. Thank You that You sought and seek me, that as your word says if I draw nigh unto You, You will draw nigh unto me. I choose today to strengthen my relationship with You and deepen the intimacy of my love for You. Whether in the highest of highs or the deepest and darkest times, You are there.

Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence? Why would I want to? I trust Your love for me and Your plans for my life.

Amen