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Psalm 139:7-12 - God is Omnipresence.Psalm 139:7-12 (NKJV) Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. 9 If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, "Surely the darkness shall fall on me," Even the night shall be light about me; 12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You.WORD STUDY AND INTRODUCTION Omnipresence. An attribute of God alone, by which is meant that God is free from the laws or limitations of space (see Psalm 139:7-10; Jeremiah 23:23-24; Hebrews 1:3; Acts 17:27-28; etc.). It is essential to the right conception of God in this respect that we avoid all materialistic notions of His presence that confuse God with everything and thus lead to pantheism. God is Spirit, and His infinite presence is to be regarded in the dynamical sense rather than in the sense of a substance infinitely extended. He is distinct from all His works while His power and intelligence and goodness embrace and penetrate them all. New Unger's Bible Dictionary. COMMENTARY PEARL The mighty power that works through all nature and sustains all things is not, as some men of science claim, merely an all-pervading principle, an actuating energy. God is a spirit; yet He is a personal being, for man was made in His image. As a personal being, God has revealed Himself in His Son. Jesus, the outshining of the Father's glory, "and the express image of His person" (Hebrews 1:3), was on earth found in fashion as a man. As a personal Savior He came to the world. As a personal Savior He ascended on high. As a personal Savior He intercedes in the heavenly courts. Before the throne of God in our behalf ministers "One like the Son of man." Daniel 7:13. The apostle Paul, writing by the Holy Spirit, declares of Christ that "all things have been created through Him, and unto Him; and He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together." Colossians 1:16, 17, R.V., margin. The hand that sustains the worlds in space, the hand that holds in their orderly arrangement and tireless activity all things throughout the universe of God, is the hand that was nailed to the cross for us. The greatness of God is to us incomprehensible. "The Lord's throne is in heaven" (Psalm 11:4); yet by His Spirit He is everywhere present. He has an intimate knowledge of, and a personal interest in, all the works of His hand. ED131-132 COMMENTARY Seeing in the Dark What's it like to explore caves (spelunking)? A traveler named Rene once visited the Natural Bridge Caverns in San Antonio, Texas. She was wowed as her group clambered through narrow tunnels, pools of water, and steep pathways. Then their guide stopped everyone for a rest and turned off all the lights. Rene heard gasps as the guide remained silent. She felt that she had gone completely blind. After a few minutes, she expected to see shapes as her eyes acclimated. Nope. She was in total darkness until the guide turned on the lights. Where have you been where you felt utterly alone, in the dark, abandoned? David asked, in today's promise, "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?" He was not trying to escape God's presence but was explaining the omnipresence of the Lord. There is nowhere you can go to escape from the Spirit of God. Not even the deepest and darkest place can separate you from your Creator. "If I say, 'Surely the darkness shall fall on me: even the night shall be light about me; indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You" (Psalm 139:11, 12). It is impossible for you to find some dark place (whether physical, emotional, or spiritual) where you can hide from God. Night might conceal people from other people, but not from the Lord. If you are trying to escape from God, this is bad news. But if you're attempting to escape to God, this is very good news. What a blessing to know our loving heavenly Father can see in the dark. Thank You, heavenly Father, for the constant presence of Your Spirit, ever with me everywhere. [The Most Amazing Bible Promises by Amazing Facts] Night Vision For a sweltering twenty-five hours in July 1977, New York City experienced a power outage. Thousands of New Yorkers poured into the streets to loot and burn the city. Roving bands of men, women, and children pulled down steel grills and shutters from storefronts and shattered glass windows, hauling away everything they could carry. Others started fires. First responders fought more than one thousand blazes, and false alarms served as decoys while people ravaged the city. Over the course of the blackout, looters plundered 1,600 stores. Most of the people involved showed no regret, except for having been caught. People sometimes assume that darkness covers everything and that God doesn't see in the dark. Somehow they think when the lights are off, no one will see. But God sees. Darkness is like daytime to Him. Nothing escapes His attention. There are no secrets with Him. A friend of mine has a pair of night vision binoculars. We went into his backyard one night when it was pitch dark. But when I looked through his binoculars, I could see everything. It was amazing. In the same way, God sees everything. And He knows everything, even in the darkness. Darkness doesn't separate us from God. David wrote in the Psalms, "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" (Psalm 139:11-12 NLT). There is no escaping His presence. God sees us and loves us. Romans 8:38 tells us, "And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow - not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love" (NLT). Nothing will separate us from God. Isn't that great to know? God is everywhere. [Greg Laurie from Harvest Ministries; https://www.harvestdaily.com] You Can Talk to God About Anything "If I flew away beyond the east or lived in the farthest place in the west, you would be there to lead me, you would be there to help me." Psalm 139:9 (GNT) You are never, ever alone because God is in every dimension at the same time. God is in the past, he's in the present, he's in the future. He's in heaven, and he's on earth. He's in the spirit world. He's in our world. He's in you, he's above you, he's around you - because he is multidimensional. There are not a bunch of gods to cover every dimension. There is one God in the person of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Because he is multidimensional, you are never alone. "Where could I go to escape from you? Where could I get away from your presence? If I went up to heaven, you would be there; if I lay down in the world of the dead, you would be there. If I flew away beyond the east or lived in the farthest place in the west, you would be there to lead me, you would be there to help me. I could ask the darkness to hide me ... but even darkness is not dark for you, and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are the same to you" (Psalm 139:7-12 GNT). Don't try to play hide and seek with God. Every place you try to hide, he's already there. This is God's omnipresence. He's everywhere! He's in all things. He is the beginning and the end. There is no place you've been, no place you are, and no place you're going to be where God was not, is not, or will not be. That should encourage you. No matter where you choose to go, God will walk with you, and he will already be there to meet you. Because God is in every dimension of the world - even the dimensions we don't know about - you can talk to him about every dimension of your life. He already understands! There is nothing you could bring to him from your past, present, or future that he is not already in complete control of. Your prayers will never catch God off guard. You can bring them all to him! [Daily Devotional by Rick Warren: https://pastorrick.com/devotional/] Held by God Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me. Psalm 139:10 NKJV No matter what you face today, God is with you. In the previous verses of this psalm, David asked the question: "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?" Whether in highest heaven or deepest hell, whether in the driest desert or the fiercest sea, even there God's hand is near, leading and holding. With the hand of God holding you close, fear does not need to compel you, for his love covers you completely! Take courage and hope in the presence of God, whether you feel the Spirit's nearness or not. You are intimately known by God, and he has not left you, not even for a moment! If you find yourself feeling far from him, read this psalm over and commit it to your heart. Make it your prayer today and keep coming back to it as often as you need it. Trust that God is with you wherever you are today, handling what you cannot and helping you as you take the steps you know to take. [365 Days of Courage by Sara Perry of Broadstreet Pub] CLOSING THOUGHT There is but one God, the Maker, Preserver and Ruler of all things, having in and of himself, all perfections, and being infinite in them all; and to Him all creatures owe the highest love, reverence and obedience. James Montgomery [Praying Through The Bible By Fuller re Psa. 86:9, 10] LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY Psalm 139:7-12 - God Is Omnipresence. https://www.abible.com/devotions/2023/20230708-0947.html http://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20221127-0840.html Psalm 139:7-12 - Awesome Attributes of God! Part Two - OMNIPRESENCE http://www.abible.com/devotions/2018/20180722-1304.html Psalm 139:12 - Even the Darkness is Not Dark to You. https://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20221017-0829.html LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT https://abible.com/links/ |