Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 139:7-12
Ps 139:7-12
7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” 12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
The preacher Jonah learned the hard way that we cannot hide from God. He was in the bottom of the ship, in the midst of a huge storm and sound asleep but God saw him. Not only did God see him, but knew why he was there and where he was going. Fortunately for Jonah, God continued to see him and take care of him, even after he was swallowed by the custom made fish.
God does not sleep. So whether we get up before the dawning of day or we stay up all night long, God sees us and is with us. What a comfort to know that when we are in distress, when our sleep has fled from us, when our hearts are heavy or when we face our troubles (seemingly) all alone, God is with us. He sees and he knows our plight. He holds our hands in the darkest night.
Jesus knows what we are facing. He prayed for three hours in the garden while his disciples slept. If there was a time in his life that he needed his friends to be with him, support him and comfort him it was then. While they slept, his father was present and hearing his cry. So even though he did not get what he was asking, God sent an angel to strengthen and comfort him in his trials.
When we turn our hearts and our lives over to God, we will always have Jesus as our friend. We will have a father who loves us and cares for us. We will have the Spirit of God to strengthen and guide us. No matter how dark our lives become or seemingly how alone we are, we will never be alone. “What a friend we have in Jesus! Oh what peace we often forfeit, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.” He is our brother and our friend.
Heavenly Father, God of all creation, I thank you for your love for me. I thank you that I can come and pour out my heart to you when I am burdened, lonely or distressed. I praise you because I can come to you when I am happy and all seems to be going right in my life. Help me in both situations to not rely on myself or forget that you are in charge. Thank you for the many friends you put in my life who help and encourage me every day. Give me a greater desire to know you, to know your will and the wisdom to apply it in my life. Continue to forgive me when I fail to be all you want me to be. I pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
