Sunday, September 07, 2008

His Presence


Psalm 139
For the choir director: A psalm of David.
1 O Lord, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.
2 You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
3 You see me when I travel
and when I rest at home.
You know everything I do.
4 You know what I am going to say
even before I say it, Lord.
5 You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too great for me to understand!

7 I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
8 If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave, you are there.
9 If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.
11 I could ask the darkness to hide me
and the light around me to become night—
12 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.

13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
16 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.

Sometimes life can be like walking about in a dense fog.Nothing is clear to us.We grope about blindly for answers.Sometimes we look in the wrong places for those answers to our questions.Very often that is when we feel the most alone.Often we feel abandoned by God.We wonder if He has left us.Or out of fear of condemnation we try to run and hide from Him.This is particularly common,I think,if you did not grow up in a loving and grace filled environment.But,we have His word,which tells us that no matter we are,He is there.When we run He is right there with us.When we hide,He seeks.His love,His presence,will not let us go,child of God.If we fly to the farthest reaches of the universe,He is there.If we swim to the deepest abyss in the deepest ocean,He is there.His presence,always present.Longing to gather us and hold us and love us as His children.He saw us when we were formed within that dark place of our mothers womb.He created every detail that makes us unique.Even in the darkest nights in our lives;when we are filled with sorrow,He is there.His presence,His Holy Spirit,never leaves us.He is as close as the very air that we breathe.Loving,guiding,and correcting when necessary.That amazes me.Causes me to stop.And think.And rejoice that though we may be forsaken by others,He never leaves us.Even when life is confusing.And it seems as if He is hidden by a thick,foreboding fog of circumstances,His presence,His spirit is there watching over us.What joy!What comfort!What a gift!

Bless you all-Sharon

7 comments:

Adrienne said...

Sharon, this is an absolutely wonderful post. Thank you for sharing it today. Your new design is gorgeous. So appropriate to the season. I'll be back soon to visit again. ~Adrienne~

Sharon Goemaere said...

Awww,thanks Adrienne.God just was nudging me to read Psalm 139.I did and was so drawn to the verses where David speaks of never being away from God's presence.That no matter where he ran to God was there.That's hope on so many levels and in so many situations!Thanks for your kind words about my new look.I love the Autumn season and was longing for my blog to reflect my love of the changing seasons.So I took the plunge and am happy with the results.Looking forward to seeing you again here.Blessings~Sharon

Reflection Through The Seasons said...

Hi Sharon...... I’m pleased you stopped by and left a comment for me, its always a pleasure to meet a new fellow blogger.

Thank you for directing me to Psalm 139. and your wonderful post! Marion

Sharon Goemaere said...

And thank you Marion for stopping by and leaving such nice comments!I love that Psalm,all of them really.And I just felt really inspired by God to do a post on it.Glad it blessed and encouraged...Sharon

Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing this. I am in the place as I write this to you! I'm so confused about everything in my life.

Maxine said...

This picture is breathtaking and goes so well with Psalm 139. I had to comment, as this is a favorite of mine. We have a wonderful God.

Sharon Goemaere said...

Maxine:
Thanks so much for stopping by.It took some time for me to find just the right image.But I knew that one was it when I found it!It just seemed to jump off the page and into my heart.Indeed we do have a wonderful God.Blessings~Sharon