Amazing God of all people, bless and protect the goings and comings of this dear reader; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Our text for today comes from Psalm 139: 1 God, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand. 2 I'm an open book to you; even from a distance, you know what I'm thinking. 3 You know when I leave and when I get back; I'm never out of your sight. 4 You know everything I'm going to say before I start the first sentence. 5 I look behind me and you're there, then up ahead and you're there, too - your reassuring presence, coming and going. 6 This is too much, too wonderful - I can't take it all in! 7 Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit? to be out of your sight? 8 If I climb to the sky, you're there! If I go underground, you're there! 9 If I flew on morning's wings to the far western horizon, 10 You'd find me in a minute - you're already there waiting! 11 Then I said to myself, "Oh, he even sees me in the dark! At night I'm immersed in the light!" 12 It's a fact: darkness isn't dark to you; night and day, darkness and light, they're all the same to you. 23 Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I'm about; 24 See for yourself whether I've done anything wrong - then guide me on the road to eternal life. (The Message)
Where can you go to hide from God? The Bible says that even in the belly of a great fish at the bottom of the ocean God still knows where you are. Have you ever tried to hide from God? Where did you go and how long did it take for God to find you? Or, for you to realize that God was already there waiting for you and you were the only one who thought that you were hiding? I tried hiding from God in the belly of corporate America. I had dropped out of seminary and thought God had made a mistake in calling me into ministry. In the great fish known as AT&T which then owned all of the "Baby Bells" including Southwestern Bell where I worked, 40,000 employees just in the Houston area at that time, my first office assignment was to sit directly across another seminary dropout.
Brothers and sisters, there is nowhere we can run or hide that God will not already be there or as we like to think, "find us." The Psalmist knew this and thus the passage from today. In fact, all of the passages for this week speak of OUR responsibility to know that God is in control and this great adventure that we call life is lived best when we just join hands with God and walk. Yesterday our youngest grandson, my namesake, Caleb Eradio, was in our care and he loves the staircase in his aunt's house and in a matter of seconds he would be on the first two steps. It took Grandma to say, "Take my hand Caleb," and he did and the rest of the time, he'd raise his little hand to us and up the stair we would go. What an adventure for the two of us climbing stairs and me trying to teach him to count each step. God awaits our hand. And heart.
PRAYER: Loving God, take my hand, lead me on. Life is so precious when we're holding hands with You. Don't let go especially during the times I'm weak or tired or discouraged. Never let me think I can hide from You or You from me. I ask this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
