By Alan Smith
Psalm 139:7-12 7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.
12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
If verses 1-6 help describe the Omniscience of God, verses 7-12 describe the Omnipresence of God. Where can we go to get away from the presence of God?
Nowhere!
David begins by asking several rhetorical questions. The first two play off of each other. Where can go or walk or travel that would allow me to be away from the Spirit of God? Or can you flee or run or escape from His very presence?
The assumed answer from the question is you can’t. You cannot get away from the presence of God. His Spirit is ever present. We cannot escape the omnipresence of the eternally present God.
I could go to heaven or to the grave, and God is there. I could go as far east or west, and God is there. No matter the direction, the duration, the finality, or the cause, nothing can separate us from the presence of God.
His Presence Brings Confidence
So if God is everywhere. If I cannot escape His presence.
Combining the loving knowledge of God about me with his inescapable presence, David recognizes that God is there to lead him, to guide him, to be his strong and mighty hand.
God’s presence brings a complete sense of comfort and assurance. There is no place, no thing, no reality that can keep the omniscient God from being omnipresent. He will lead and support as His presence is with us.
Take Away
God is With Me
The reality is that God is always with me. When times are good, He is with me. When times are “bad,” He is with me. When I sin, He is with me.
An omnipresent God is in all places at the same time and it is impossible for me to escape his presence. God is with me!
When I consider the ever loving God, who knows me so personally, is not turned aside by my sin and fault, I am overwhelmed by his presence. I cannot be separated from Him.