The Inescapable God

Psalm 139: 1-6 

O Lord, you have searched me and known me.

You know when I sit down and when I rise up;

You discern my thoughts from far away.

You search out my path and my lying down,

And are acquainted with all my ways.

Even before a word is on my tongue,

O Lord, you know it completely.

You hem me in, behind and before,

And lay your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

It is so high that I cannot attain it.

When I was growing up, my grandfather gave me a horse. For me that horse was my grand escape. I rode it everywhere. Lucky for me, my parents gave me the freedom to do that. 

At that time, our family lived in Brazil and, although I had many friends, my horse was my best friend. He never judged me, was always ready to listen, and took me wherever I needed to go to get away. It sounds like there were all kinds of problems that I needed to escape from, but actually it was just the normal growing up pains everyone has to face while becoming a teenager. It is that reluctance to allow people to get too close and vulnerable to criticism that can be hard.

At a young age, talking to God provided the only other place I felt free. The idea that God seeks me out, knows me…it’s a bit overwhelming. Then again, it can be a confidence builder. It can remind us that since we are known by God there is no point in hiding. 

The strangest part of the above Psalm is the idea that God “hems us in.” Not only does God not let us escape, he lays his hand on us. That is a bit frightening, right? Maybe, then again maybe not. I keep wondering if by hemming us in God keeps us from playing hide-and-seek with his love and grace. In my experience, that wonderful knowledge is so unbelievable that I cannot  grasp the depth of it.

This grace of God is beyond comprehension. That God knows us completely, flaws and all, and still extends His love and grace baffles us. But comprehension and acceptance do not always go hand in hand. Faith sometimes takes place between the moments when I think I get it and when I have a hard time accepting God’s gifts. Trusting in God’s goodness and grace is an awe-inspired moment. For those moments I have lived with this inescapable God.

Searching God’s grace!

Pastor Jeffrey HOLTER