11/3

Psalms 139:5-7

⁵You hem me in窶澱ehind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. ⁶Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. ⁷Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?

God is in front of you. God is behind you. Don't try to wiggle out of it, as His hand is upon you. Some will struggle their whole life to get away from His presence that surrounds us, and if they persist, He will give them their desire. We cannot imagine how horrible it would be to escape the presence of our good God. He surrounds us to show us His love and turn us from our destructive ways. His hand is upon us to bless us. Any restraint is out of mercy and grace to keep us from falling off a cliff of sin. God is intimately involved in each of our lives whether we want Him there or not.

Now, consider the billions of people upon the earth. His involvement and love is just as amazing in every single life. I can't imagine that because I am finite. I am bound to this physical area my body inhabits. What an amazing God!

I love my wife dearly, but I could never be involved with her to the extent that God is involved with me, though that is God's goal for me as a husband. I love my children; but if I were that involved in their lives they would feel suffocated. That is because my love is so mixed with my own character that is not enough like God's perfect character. My love often has my selfish motives mixed in, but not so with God. His love is entirely unselfish and for my good.

I can't escape that love, that presence, no matter where I flee. There is no place on earth to hide, but why would I want to? If I long to know Him better, then this passage is a reassuring promise. If I want to rebel or reserve a part of my life for my lust, then this verse is a dreadful warning. Do you sense His presence all around you, His hand upon you? What a great deterrent when I would consider the pleasure of sin for a season!

Consider: Wonderful or dreadful, it is up to you, but you can't change the fact that He envelopes you in His presence. Think about that as you go through your day today.