May 1 - The Spirit is Everywhere

Read Psalm 139:1-12

Context: This is a psalm written by David for the director of music.

1 O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.
5 You hem me in—behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, [a] you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,"
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you. (NIV)
Footnotes:
Psalm 139:8 Hebrew Sheol
taken from www.biblegateway.com

Both of our sons have been having some trouble 'staying on task' at school lately. I don't know if it's the weather that has them restless or if they are just being boys, but we get reports every other day or so that one of them has been preoccupied with something other than their assignment. Yesterday Kevin kind of grinned when he told me that his teacher had given him a good report for the day. He confided that while she was out of the classroom he had been out of his chair quite a bit...and he finished with "She didn't even know!"

That, of course, led to the discussion of God's omnipresence. While she didn't know, He did, and He wants us to obey even when no one is watching. This passage is good evidence of that!

There is a more positive side to this passage, too. In addition to watching us at all times so we know that we can't hide the evil in our hearts or actions, the Spirit is also watching out for us...helping us to avoid those situations and protecting our hearts from harm. No matter where we are, or how far away from Him we stray, the Spirit is with us and is nudging us toward fulfillment of God's plan.