You Cannot Hide

Psalm 139:1-2 - O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off.

Psalm 139 is one of the best psalms. It is a comfort to those who know Christ. It may not be a comfort to those who do not know Him. But here is a truth: We can never go anywhere where God can lose us. - Chris Tringali  That can also be a comfort…or not!

I'm going to concentrate on one aspect of that comfort. As I listened to a preacher (Chris Tringali) read this psalm I was struck by words I figured he would talk about in his sermon. I wrote this before listening to his message. We'll see if we think alike!

Yes, God knows everything about us. Once a person made the comment that she didn't believe God could know all things. Oh, my, He does. He created everything...and us. How could He not? In our human minds we can't absorb the idea that God is able to know what I think, what I'm about to say or do before I do it...as well as for every person alive today, from every continent, in every language. And remember everything all people have said or done. Way too much to think about. 

So when we are faced with tragedy of any kind, He knows about it. He knew before it happened. And we who know and trust in Him know He will take care of this situation or illness, whatever it is. It may not be handled the way we thought, but it will be done. I feel bad for those who don't know God and who do not have Him to rely on. Life would be pretty scary without His leading the way. I'm not saying we won't have some trepidation in whatever we go through. It's a human emotion. But beneath that we can have a peace that unbelievers don't understand. And it draws us deeper into the Lord so we know who to turn to for strength. 

It was these two verses of scripture that stood out this time as I read the whole psalm: If I say surely the darkness shall fall on me, even the night shall be light about me; indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You. (11-12) In our darkest moments His light will shine on those who seek Him. Nothing is hidden from Him. What may seem dark to us is light to Him because He has the answer. In our dark moments His light will shine for us. In darkness we cannot see; hope is lost. With His light we see Him and peace returns.

We are encouraged in scripture to always stay focused on the Lord. Jesus is the Light of the world. His light will not go out. If we choose to search for comfort elsewhere first, that very light will not be there. Jesus' light is everlasting. It will shine always for those who seek Him.

We live in a dark world where evil runs rampant. We can have peace if we know Jesus as Lord and Savior. As long as you have that Light you will have peace. What do we hear repeated frequently around Christmas? For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 (For He Himself is our peace...‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2:14a‬) He will not be hidden from you. He knows your every thought afar off! He knew it from the beginning of time. Let His light shine in your life, to illuminate your path. We can never go anywhere where God can lose us.

We celebrated Christmas. Christmas is about Christ, our Savior. He was born to die. But He also rose again. He is the one who knows everything about us and wants to give us peace and joy in the midst of all discomforting things. Know Him, have His light, know His peace. You cannot hide from Him. No matter what you try to do. He came to wipe every tear from your eye, to give you a hope...and peace. So running from Him is silly. I know this. I ran; I struggled; I pushed Him away. 

Was this what Pastor Chris preached? Uh, no. But He did bring in the part about Christmas! He did conclude with something like this: Through all our troubles, if we know Him, we can praise Him in the storm. If we are His, even though we fail at being holy and righteous, He is still there. Don't know Him? He is still there, waiting for you to know Him. He knows your deeds and He's willing to forgive...if you will know Him. Then all His peace and joy will be yours. 

John 8:12 - Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”