Scripture: Psalm 139 v 7 - 11: "Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me."
Even though King David the Psalmist was an imperfect man, he was a man after God's own heart! Why would God favour him? Because he had a conscience that truly bothered him, which led him to confess and repent of sins regularly. He was humble and knew his failings only too well.
In this Psalm he acknowledges that God is omnipresent, or everywhere. That he cannot hide nor run from the Lord. As the late Derek Prince wrote on this matter:
"God’s presence is His Spirit. God told the prophet Jeremiah that He fills all things, that He fills the heaven and He fills the earth. It’s not the visible, manifest form of God that fills the heaven or the earth, but it’s that invisible, imperceptible presence of God the Holy Spirit which permeates the entire universe.
No matter where we go, that invisible hand is stretched out to hold us. No matter how far we may sink down or how high we may rise, we cannot go below the level of God’s presence or ascend above it. God’s presence is always with us. He hears every word we speak; He knows every thought. He said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
On this momentous day in Israel's history, the remaining hostages are being freed. The first seven have been handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza and are probably arriving as I write these words. No matter how well they were hidden our Father always knew where they were and the prayers of believers sustained them for this homecoming. How we honour and worship our Saviour Jesus Christ, the Ransom for all souls.
This sums up how David felt and we, who are born again believers, should rejoice in His Presence and grace. Even when we have stepped out of the line of the Word of God, He does not leave us. The Holy Spirit, the Comforter, the Helper, is with us to reason with us, touch our conscience, lead us to repentance and sorrow for sin. Then He will fill us with peace, joy and love, restoring us to the fellowship of God.
Someone reading these words today is in desperate need of them. This person is feeling hopeless despair and God seems far away. Please remember that God dwells in the praises of His people so turn on some good praise music and no matter how hard, sing along with it. Satan hates to hear God praised and will leave, and Jesus will fill that space with His loving presence.
We were listening to some old favourites early this morning. Keith Green 'Oh Lord, You're Beautiful'; Don Francisco 'He's Alive!'; Amy Grant 'El Shaddai', Lamb singing 'Baruch Hashem'. Any one or all of these songs of praise will lift you back into enjoying His presence. We can sing them for the released hostages too.
John 10 v 10: "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."
The thief is Satan who has an agenda to steal, kill and destroy. Jesus is the Life and He wants us to have life abundantly. Satan has inspired the enemies of Israel to kill, steal hostages, destroy the nation. God has given Israel the power to resist.
All over the world Satan has inspired people to side with the Palestinians and condemn Israel. This is the curtain raiser for Armageddon. They cannot hide their agenda from God. It's great to see Jews out in Hostage Square singing beautiful songs of hope.
If we are sucked in by Satan's schemes we give him power to carry on hurting us. If we choose life over death and withstand him we will triumph over him. No one is able to say only good things ever happen, but if we have faith in God's ability we will have no fear of the enemy. However, we must act on our faith.
James said that Faith without works is dead. Faith is a muscle. If it has been exercised it grows stronger, if it does nothing it withers. Put your faith to work, start believing that God has written your name on the palm of His hand. It's indelible. He sees your name every day. He waits for you to come to Him with your needs. He hears you and if He hears you He answers you.
This will lead to His presence filling your life and home. Just take charge of your situation, show the thief the way out of the door and let Jesus in. This is your victory over circumstances and a foundation for your future relationship with the Lord.
You cannot hide from Him in darkness nor even in Hell, His light will shine on you in the darkest corner and His power will overcome the darkness in your soul. Take His hand and He will lift you out of all your problems, issues, frustrations and failures. He will lead you by the still waters and help you step by step out of shadows into His full light.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, whoever these words are meant to rescue I pray they reach him or her right now. It may be many who are in distress but You will make a way as You have for the hostages. Thank You for hearing their cry from the heart. Please lift their burdens dear Lord and lighten the load with Your awesome presence. In Jesus' name. Amen.