Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
Psalms 139:13 In-Context
13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
No matter how high he goes, God is there. If he reversed course and descended into the depths of the grave, God is waiting patiently for him there as well. To seek to flee God's presence in any and every direction is to fly into the center of the fire to escape the heat.
Psalm 139 speaks deeply to who God is and who we are, reminding us of the intimate and personal nature of God's involvement in, and the great value He places on, our lives. This is a very personal prayer from David to God, and it's important that we hear it speak to us personally, more than corporately.
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it (1 Corinthians 10:13).
The Bible names the six cities as being cities of refuge: Golan, Ramoth, and Bosor, on the east (left bank) of the Jordan River, and Kedesh, Shechem, and Hebron on the western (right) side.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (NIV) – Philippians 4:6-7.
Here David is inviting God into his innermost thoughts, and asking God to alter his perspective to see things truly, as God sees them, and to help David walk in ways that prosper his soul. David asks God to try him, to know his anxious thoughts, and to see if there be any hurtful way in him.
Reflection: The thoughts of God should be as precious to us now as they were to the writer of this psalm. God's thoughts are truth, and they bring life and beauty to our world. God takes his delight in sharing his thoughts with us, and the thoughts of God are vast in number.
Objective: To teach children that God made them on purpose to be who they are and to give them an understanding that they are wonderfully made. Activity: Partner the children up and give them each paper and a pencil. Tell the kids that they have ten minutes to draw their partner.
David's fundamental question is “Can I ever escape God's gaze?” He uses a wonderful Hebrew parallelism: “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” These questions evoke both the fear of knowing that God always has his eye on us and the comfort of enjoying God's eternal presence.
God is omnipresent, meaning he is present everywhere. Because of this, you can never escape from his Spirit. This is good news to those who know and love God, because no matter what we do or where we go, we can never be far from God's guiding and comforting presence. Our God Is So Great!
In Psalm 139, David pointed out that God does not condemn, he blesses (5, 17). He sees every dirty, messy, crazy part of our life – even when we don't bring it to him. God could condemn us for the mess that he sees, but he delights in his creatures and continues to pursue a relationship with us.
David wrote in Psalm 139:9-10, “If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.” What an incredible image David paints of the nearness of God! If we were to explore the ends of the earth, God would still be there.
I was reminded of Psalm 139:17-18: “How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast the sum of them. Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand — when I awake, I am still with you.” Amazing that his thoughts outnumber those grains of sand.
14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. 15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
Christians facing difficult situations today can take comfort in Jeremiah 29:11 knowing that it is not a promise to immediately rescue us from hardship or suffering, but rather a promise that God has a plan for our lives and regardless of our current situation, He can work through it to prosper us and give us a hope ...
Exodus 14:14 The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” | New International Version (NIV) | Download The Bible App Now.
Ephesians 2:10 reads “For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” But doesn't that contradict what comes two verses earlier: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”
Psalm 139:5 says, “You've gone into my future to prepare the way, and in kindness you follow behind me, to spare me from the harm of my past. With your hand of love upon my life, you impart a Father's blessing to me.”
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my Redeemer.
Psalm 24 is about the advent of human beings into the presence of God, and the mutual advent of the King of glory into the presence of “those who seek the face of God.”
Philippians 4:6-7 (NKJV)
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."