Presence
Psalms 139:7-12 (NIV)
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. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,’ even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
There is nowhere we can go from the presence of God. No depth or length or darkness will separate us from his Spirit. I love that this verse shows us that for God, there is no darkness he will not shine through, no night he cannot shine in as bright as day. The darkest part of my being, is still made to light up by the presence of the Lord.
This chapter starts with: ‘You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.' The Lord knows the deepest and darkest parts of our lives; he knows our struggles and what gets us excited; what makes us joyful… everything. Thank God we have a best friend who knows us and is with us now.
There are so many people for whom this is their story - the Spirit of Jesus turning the dark parts of their lives into light. Addiction, pride, insecurities, sickness all being overcome because that’s what our God does. I thank Jesus that he is in the business of making dark things light and that this is what he has done for me! Maybe as you’re reading this, you can allow Jesus to speak to your darkness and declare it light and thank Jesus for those parts of your life where he has already done that.
I hope today you will remember these verses: that his presence is with us in our work, every email sent, every drink drank, every conversation had - he is with me! (Perhaps you could intentionally say this throughout your day.) But also, he knows the deepest and darkest parts of us and yet he stays and offers to make the darkest parts light.
Prayer — Thank you that you are with me all day Jesus and that you turn the darkness to light.