Guided!

Guided!

Psalm 139:9-10 AMPC

[9] If I take the wings of the morning or dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, [10] Even there shall Your hand lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.

In this day and age when safety and security have become quite important, men have found new and novel ways to keep themselves safe. We do have high walls, gadgets and other technologies to help with physical safety, but none of these physical measures can come through when spiritual safety is the issue. Men have also travelled to space, planting evidence of their presence on the moon and other planets, yet none of these achievements adequately fill the void that only God can fill. We have tried all sorts of schemes, such as wealth, influence, earnings and many others, yet man is still empty outside of God. As God breathed into man the breath of life, it means that until God takes His rightful place, man will not function in the place of his planting, calling and equipping. He will continue to run aimlessly, not sure what he is looking for, yet running all the same.

David the psalmist understood this position when he put down these words, and his life is a lesson on the benefits of total dependence on God, as well as the consequences as well as the earthly and eternal impact of turning or running away from God. David had seen from firsthand experience what it meant to walk with God, and to know that nothing can be hidden from Him. What David did when no one was watching became the basis of the rebuke he got from Nathan the prophet, and the punishment from God that impacted his entire household. How can the created hide anything from his creator? What secrets can the created keep away from his creator? What part of my constitution or make up is hidden away from the One who formed and gave me all the parts that I have been given? Where can I go that He has not been before? What can I do without His empowerment, enablement and permission? 

If I can admit that I am made by God, and that there is nothing about me that He does not know, it helps me in my engagement with all His creation, as well as other people who are also made in God's image, just as I am. If I decide to run away, like Jonah thought He could do, God's hand is there to lead me. If I try to hide my sin from Him, the One who is the Omniscient God knows all. Like the verse above says, even if I decide to go to the farthest end of the earth, or like a bird, I want to fly away to a place where nobody knows me, or if by virtue of bad experiences, I want to be left alone, God never lets go. It is not in His nature to walk away from anyone. He is that friend that sticks closer than a brother.  He stays for the long haul, no matter what the issues are. His hand is always there to lead and guide me, and to ensure that I end well. He holds me by His mighty hand, and there is nothing on this earth that can pluck me out of His hand. What else is there to fear? God's time of favour is here.