“Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,’
even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.” Psalm 139:7-12
Before the sun had risen, before any shadow crept into the day, rays appeared spraying up from the eastern horizon. Piercing and eradicating the dark in an indeterminable instant. Sublime. All-encompassing. Reaching as wide as angles allow, they spread their arms and shouted their message that all is held, and covered. There is not an iota of space untouched by God’s light and influence and radiant love.
Nothing is hidden from His notice or involvement. We burn with no desire He does not understand, expend no effort He does not measure, struggle with no temptation He has not felt, and languish in any failure He has not overcome. Our God is limitless in compassion, grace, and power toward His own. He bursts forth in perfect light to uncover the recesses of our heart secrets, and perfect timing to meet our soul needs. He knows all that lies before us, and is sufficient for our journey. (Isaiah 53:3; 1 Corinthians 10:13; 2 Corinthians 9:8; 12:9; Hebrews 4:15-16)
As we live weighted under hard circumstances, would we consider poking our heads above them, where the sun rays warm and enlighten and the air is free? Would we escape the frenzied treadmill of earthly duties, and take seriously God’s admonition to rest, and His example to get away alone with him? It may not be possible to extricate ourselves from very real responsibilities and limitations of poor health or ongoing societal conflict, but the Lord’s light can reach every hidden place and restore supernaturally in the moments we do have. (Exodus 20:8-11; Matthew 14:23; Mark 6:31)
What areas of our thought and practical life do we withhold from God’s penetrating rays? Do we give lip service to surrender, but fret with fears about our health, the welfare and choices of loved ones, or security for the future? Worry has no place in Christ’s embrace. Have we compartmentalized certain areas we want to keep control of, claiming we know best when it comes to scheduling, finances, and entertainment? Pride does not get along with humility, vulnerability, and dependence. If we truly believe that Jesus’s light is the life of men, we would trust Him enough to expose all of ourselves to its penetrating power. (John 1:4)
Lord, nothing is concealed from the reach of Your light, and one day all will be exposed and rectified. So shine that You uncover my sin, purify my heart, light my way, and reflect Your beauties abroad in this dark world. (Psalm 36:9; 119:105; Luke 8:17; 1 Corinthians 4:5)
As the rain and snow 