“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?”
Psalm 139:7
Have you ever heard the saying, “You can run, but you can’t hide”? Usually we are talking about someone that is in some kind of trouble, and is trying to escape punishment. People may even move to another town or change their name or their looks in order to avoid being caught. We want to believe, though, that wrongdoers are always found and receive the justice they deserve.
The Psalmist asks the question of God, where can I go to run away from you? The writer of this passage eloquently speaks of the many places he might go, but God is always there. The answer to his question is that there is NO PLACE we can go that God will not be with us. (Verses 8-16)
Romans 8:38-39 speaks of this truth too, as the Apostle Paul says “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
In our Christian walk we sometimes try to run away and hide from God. Maybe we think if we ignore that tug on our heart to witness to someone that it will go away. Or if we deny a call to teach or preach long enough we can get rid of the thought. Maybe it is just a call to get back in church or to befriend someone in need. Whatever it is, it is impossible to deny God. That tug on our hearts will never go away, that feeling of incompleteness will still be there, that deep down knowledge that God is talking to us will not change.
As the psalmist said, wherever we go the Lord is there too. We cannot hide from Him or His love. Instead of hiding or ignoring we should run to God and yearn to be with Him; for in His presence there is peace, joy, contentment, safety, love and so much more.