Thoughts for the Day

The Inescapable God

1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from far away.
3 You search out my path and my lying down,
and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
O Lord, you know it completely.
5 You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is so high that I cannot attain it.

7 Where can I go from your spirit?
Or where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there;
if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning
and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me fast.
11 If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light around me become night’,
12 even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is as bright as the day,
for darkness is as light to you.

13 For it was you who formed my inward parts;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
that I know very well.
15  My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.
In your book were written
all the days that were formed for me,
when none of them as yet existed.
17 How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 I try to count them—they are more than the sand;
I come to the end[a]—I am still with you.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

We have many ways to keep young children safe. In the house we can put toddlers into play-pens and use stair-gates to stop them falling down stairs. Outside we sometimes use reins to stop them wandering off, or hold them by the hand. Equally, at the other end of the scale, it's not uncommon to see elderly dementia sufferers holding the hand of a loved one for safety. The Psalmist argues that God cares for us as though we are tiny children. He holds us fast by the hand, not only that, He holds us fast by the right hand, presumably he means His strongest hand. God keeps us safe wherever we go.

I remember using this psalm on a two-day course with clergy. We were looking at experiential ways of understanding God - that is using everyday experiences to help us understand more about our relationship with God. I asked them to read Psalm 139 and come back with a picture to illustrate one of the verses. One person returned with a beautiful coloured picture of an unborn baby in the womb - illustrating for them God's protection of humanity - "We are secure and safe in God's care, like this baby." For that person verse 13 'You knit me together in my mother's womb' spoke volumes.

For others the repetition of the word "hand" was important, remembering the feeling of safety as a child when they held a parent or guardian's hand, and they brought photographs of family members holding hands, and spoke of "being able to recognise the hand even if they were blindfolded". They felt enfolded in God's love and guided by Him. They argued that we just need to learn to trust Him totally, take His hand, and step out into the future.

Which verse speaks to You this Lent, and can you attach a picture or image from life to it?

Heavenly Father,
You hold our hand like a loving parent
holds a child's hand.
May we learn to trust You to keep us safe
until You call us home.
Guide our steps this Lent,
and protect us from our stupidity
in failing to respond to You each day.
Amen.