DAILY DEVOT IONAL 29
Janice McCrostie
1 You have searched me, LORD, and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely.
5 You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. - Psalm 139:1-12
DEVOTIONAL:
In your darkest places, God is there. Even when you shy away from being known, God is there. The fact is that the Creator of all things believed that the world needed you too, so how dare you try to hide from such love? The God who knows all things walks beside you, lives around you, and understands you well. Do you really believe that there is anything done to, or for, or by, you that God does not have intimate 2 understanding of? The one who created you loves you deeply, radically and unconditionally and that love is transformative. Allow it to transform you.
In your darkest places, God is there. Loving you through your pain and heartache, holding you close as you grieve and ache. God knows your heart and holds it as precious. God knows your heart and protects it fiercely. When this earthly world causes harm, God’s love for us is there.
And when you are ready to find your way back to the light, God is there, guiding your path.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
1. What are the parts of you that you try to hide from God?
2. How does it feel knowing that God knows you completely and loves you unconditionally?
3. Understanding this, what are some intentional things you can do to deepen your relationship with God?
PRAYER:
Lord, while my heart knows that you are with me in my dark places, my mind struggles. I hide from you, shameful of what I have done, fearful of what has been done to me, not seeing Your light and goodness. Keep me in Your grace filled embrace. Open my mind to know the transformational power of your presence in all parts of my life. Remind me of that Your love for me is so great that You created me to walk this earth, with these people, at this time. Guide my heart, guide my mind, guide my words. Amen.