Day 2 - God is With You (Psalm 139)

You can't outrun God. You can't hide from Him.

At first, that seems constraining, but King David doesn't think so. Instead, my man is GLAD that God is always with him.

This makes sense, especially in the bad times, which appears to be the occasion for this prayer in Psalm 139. In 139:19-22, David talks about how much his enemies are threatening him and stressing him out. This raw outpouring of frustration shows just how free he feels to be honest with God.

God already knows. He sees the frustration. He knows the actions of everybody involved. David is glad...

"If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast" (139:11-12).

Even in the darkest of times, God is there.

When the enemies surround, God is there.

When God seems distant, God is there.

In fact, every day of your life and mine, God is there, and he's not threatened by our circumstances. "All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be" (139:16). Nice.

Some people like to debate verses like this and say, "Well, if God already knows, what's the point?"

This morning, I was playing mini-basketball with my three-year-old boy, Luke. He stands about five feet from the basket, and throws it overhand towards the rim. Usually makes it. Yes, I'm bragging that my three year old has an outside shot going. But there are sometimes, when he shoots, I know he's going to miss. Bad form or bad aim? Sure. Other times, I know he's going to miss, because I'm going to catch or swat the ball before it gets to the net. Just about every time he shoots, I am involved somehow in the outcome - directly or indirectly.

Maybe God is like that with us. Maybe he wants us to keep shooting, keep living, keep learning.

Sometimes, he knows we'll fail.
Sometimes, he blocks our shots - not because he's evil, but because we have a lot to learn, and the point is our relationship with the Father.

See, we think it's all about just putting the ball in the hoop.

God thinks it's all about spending time with our Dad. That's most important... isn't it?

And he's always there with us and for us... "Where can I go from your Spirit?"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

God, thanks for always being there for me.... even in those times when I thought I was alone. Thank you for knowing, watching, and caring about the details of my life. I don't deserve this relationship or concern from you, and yet you freely offer it.

Thanks for being there for me during the darkest times of my life... times when I thought my enemies had ruined the best of life... times when I thought life would never be, as the song says, "back to good." Thanks for not only listening to my prayers, but for shooting hoops with me, your little kid.

Remind me that the point of all this - this life as I know it - is to know and love you as my ultimate Father and Friend.