"O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all of my ways." Psalm 139:1&2
A few days ago, while hiking the trails of a 400-acre forest with my dog, as I do several times a week, I had a freak accident. In a nutshell, at about the halfway point of our hour-long hike, I took a fall while attempting to run past another hiker and his dog. My dog pulled hard and fast to the left while I was running straight, and ultimately, I fell hard, landing on my upper arm. The pain instantly permeated my body, and I knew in a moment that I was in a precarious position.
While the kind hiker helped me remember to breathe and kept me calm, I eventually sat down, leaning against a tree while he went for help. After contacting my husband to tell him where I was in case I blacked out, I was utterly alone on the trail with my dog. I felt vulnerable--in a state of shock, I began to pray. My prayer could have been more eloquent. Instead, it went something like this: "Help me Jesus, help me Jesus, help me Jesus."
Hiking the trails or hiking anywhere has always been where I feel most like my true self. When surrounded by His glorious creation, I am honest in my conversations with Him. Only moments earlier, I had thanked Him for His goodness to me, recalling all the ways He has blessed me and my family. And now, as I struggled to breathe, feeling like a tiny dot in a large forest, I felt His peace and presence.
"Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast." Psalm 139-7-10
God is omnipresent—He is present everywhere, in every place and time. To say that God is "present" is to say that he is here with us, really here, not absent. He is the creator of heaven and earth, which means that He is in every location. He is also the creator of time—one without a beginning or an end. He has been present in the world since its creation, and there will never be a time when He is absent.
We are never lost to God. No matter where we go or what we do, He is present. Although He knows every detail about us, His ultimate desire and greatest gift is that He allows us to know Him too.
One of Jesus's last prayers on earth perfectly describes this desire: "Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began." John 17:1-5
Reflecting on my trail experience, I am humbled and thankful for those whom God brought along the path (literally!) to help. Although I suffered a fractured humerus (upper arm bone), it seems that hardships have a way of bringing us closer into His presence. His love hits differently from a broken place when we can see more clearly our utter need for more of Him.
"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." Psalm 139:14
Stay the Course…
Sheila
Today’s Prayer: “Father, thank you for your omnipresence. It’s difficult to understand that time is different in heaven than how we view it on earth—without beginning or end. Father, I pray for those who have not yet accepted your gift of eternal life. Your Word tells us that it is by grace we have been saved, through faith. We know that faith does not come from ourselves, and it is not by works—it is a gift from You so that no one can boast. Your Word tells us that if we confess with our mouths, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in our hearts that You raised Jesus from the dead, we will be saved. Today, I pray for your gift of salvation to anyone who cries out to You with this prayer. Our greatest joy on earth is to know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you sent. Please draw us closer to You as we seek You and learn more about You through the gift of Your Spirit and the power of Your Word. In Jesus name, I pray, amen.”
