God Is With Us
O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from far away.
You search out my path and my lying down,
and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
O Lord, you know it completely.
Where can I go from your spirit?
Or where can I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there;
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
Psalm 139:1-4 and 7-8
Today’s Psalm is part of Psalm 139. The Psalm is a personal prayer and song of praise David wrote about his journey with God through good, bad and challenging times. In its entirety, it gives us affirmation of God's omnipresence. God intimately knows and cares for us, even before we are born.
Recently, we had a training meeting for the Shepherds Guild. Although I have been at St. Martin’s for 18 months, I had not met all of the people face-to-face. This was a concern for me. During the pandemic, masks, social distancing practices and plastic barriers have isolated us from each other. Quarantine put some of us in our rooms alone for half a month at a time! Isolation has become a reality we experience. Yet, even when other people are not with us in person, we are never alone. God is with us.
Many times, we don’t let people get too close to us because we are afraid if they know us completely that they may not like us. We purposefully isolate ourselves. Yet, God already knows all about us, even to the number of hairs on our head (Matthew 10:30).
It is good news for us . We can never be far from God and from His comforting presence. We are never completely isolated. God knows ME.
