Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
—Psalm 139:7
There are moments in life when we feel as if we are lost—lost in the vastness of the world, in the depths of our own hearts, in the ache of unspoken sorrow. There are places, both physical and emotional, that seem to be too distant for anyone to reach, too dark for anyone to see. But the psalmist tells us it’s not so: Even there, God is with us. Even in the most hidden, remote, or desolate spaces of life, the presence of God is unfailing. His Spirit does not falter; His reach does not end.
The psalmist asks a question that speaks to the deepest corners of our souls: Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? It’s a question driven by experiencing a sense of God’s absence and knowing what its like to feel isolated and alone. Yet, the truth remains: There is no place where God is not.
When we are in the highest places of joy, or standing on the mountaintops of our achievements, God is there. “If I go up to the heavens, you are there…” (v. 8). God is present in our triumphs, in our moments of clarity, when the world feels right, and our hearts are full. In the moments when we feel the wind at our backs and the light of His favor shining down, God’s presence is a constant companion.
Yet the psalmist doesn’t just speak of the heights. He continues: If I make my bed in the depths, you are there. (v. 8). There are places so low, so dark, so seemingly unreachable that they seem to swallow us whole. The depths might refer to the seas, but they also refer to our deepest pains, our lowest moments. Maybe it’s the pain of loss, the crushing weight of grief, or the sense of abandonment in the broken places of our hearts. Maybe it’s the isolation of depression or the despair of a wayward soul. But even there, God’s presence is constant, His hand is near, and His heart is full of mercy.
Even there, God’s love reaches us. Even in the farthest, most dismal places of our hearts, where we may feel unworthy or unlovable, God’s presence does not waver. He does not turn His face away from our suffering. If anything, His presence is most keenly felt in our darkest hours. His light shines brightest in the places where we are most tempted to believe that darkness has overtaken us.
“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” (v. 9-10). The wings of dawn speak to the expanse of time and space. The far side of the sea points to the furthest, most distant corners of the earth. No matter how far we go—physically or emotionally—there is no place beyond God’s reach. Whether we are on the edge of the world or in the place of our most hidden longings, even there, His hand is guiding us. He is steadying us, holding us, keeping us safe.
It is remarkable, isn’t it? That God’s hand is as near in our joy as it is in our sorrow. His presence does not change based on our circumstances. In the light, He is with us; in the shadow, He remains by our side.
The psalmist continues, “If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,’ even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you” (v. 11-12). Darkness, in its deepest sense, is the place where we fear we may disappear, where our pain may overwhelm us beyond recognition, and where we are convinced that no one can see us—not even God. But the psalmist assures us that even in our deepest darkness, God sees us clearly. The night does not hide us from His gaze. The hidden places of our soul are not too concealed for His love to find us. Even there, in the blackest night, in the most overwhelming sense of despair, God’s light shines.
So, no matter where you are today—whether you are thriving or you are suffering—remember that no matter where you find yourself—Even there, God is with you.