God is never far away; by his design, we are connected to him. Sometimes it is easier to sense God’s Presence more than others, but that is not God being distant. Rather, it is when human beings become too focused on the things of the world to enjoy his supernatural Presence in the present.
This moment, God is with you. However, we can become so distracted by the good, as well as the challenging things in this earthly life, we exchange an awareness of the Eternal for the temporal. Remember, the Kingdom of God is not of this world (John 18:36).
In Psalm 139, David knows he is connected to an all-powerful God; a Shepherd who is present to provide and guide his life into the good and righteous things God has prepared for those who love him (Ps 23; Ro 8:28). Now, that knowledge and assurance does not stop David from occasionally feeling alone. During times of loneliness, David chooses to remain in faith and “know” that God is present with him…maybe just silent for a reason. Perhaps God wants to gain a greater measure of David’s attention. I have wondered if God spiritually sits shiva [seven days/mourning] with his children as he heals the brokenness and loss that tests our faith!
In our passage today, David reflects over the entire span of life in connection to God in order to help us understand the divine Presence. Before you and I were born, God was designing you in your mother’s womb. Sometimes people want to think they are just some blob of random cells, tissue, and we become human when we breathe air at birth. But, friends, we have a heartbeat at 5-6 weeks of gestation and, although a gender is determined at the moment of fertilization, the visible evidence of that human gender starts between 7-12 weeks. An unborn baby is a human being!
David reminds us before birth, we began as God’s design and for his glory. When we are born, our lives have been uniquely laid out in the plan of God. From birth to death, God continues to reveal himself to us as we live out good, as well as challenging days. Finally, at death, we are still in the loving care of God. God’s fingerprints cover the creation and development of every human being, from the womb to the grave, and we must live to bring glory to his name!
Psalm 139:1-18 NLT 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,[Shoel—house of the dead] 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.
17
How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.
They cannot be numbered!
18
I can’t even count them;
they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up,
you are still with me!
Prayer: Lord, please open our spiritual eyes and give us a deep conviction for the Truth, today. The Word reveals that your miraculous hand forms and develops human beings in the womb, and guides human life from the womb to the grave and beyond. Our lives are designed and directed by you as we listen and obey. Thank you for making us all so wonderfully complex. In Jesus’ name. Amen.