God's Presence

Psalm 139 7-10 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. 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.

Sometimes when you leave your normal routine and find yourself in a completely different environment, it’s easy to forget that God is still with you. As we traveled to London this past week, we had a choice – to change who we are and adapt to this different environment or to remain who we are and interact in this different environment.

We all come across similar situations. It may not be traveling to foreign countries or flying through several time zones, but we may still find ourselves in new, different environments where we realize that we can either change or remain the same. It might be meeting with people who you don’t really know, it might be finding yourself in a place where you don’t normally frequent, it might be speaking with someone who doesn’t really “speak your language”.

In all of these cases, it should help you to know that there is no place you can go that God isn’t already there. It’s not that He is watching you – it’s more that He is watching over you. You can be safe in the knowledge that as you continue to be who you are, you don’t need to fear persecution or embarrassment because His presence is there, His hand will guide you and His right hand will hold you fast.

This was a comfort to me over the past week as we found ourselves surrounded by “the world”, looking to “have a good time” and not wanting to conform to the truth of their sinfulness. I knew I could continue to be who I am because God was with me. My persecution was non-existent and I pray that God will take my example and use it bring those who were with me closer to Him.

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Last modified: February 5, 2006