He’s There

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We often try to keep God at arm’s length. We attempt to bar Him from the messy, disordered places in our lives, quietly assuming there is a limit to how far His transformational love can reach. 

When we are overwhelmed with shame, we try to hide from His presence. Rather than running toward His loving embrace, we flee from Him, afraid He will reject or condemn us. Yet this fear is ungrounded. 

God already knows every way we have fallen short. He is intimately aware of our addictions, our grudges, our most vulgar thoughts—and still, He chooses to love us. God is not afraid of our sin. He is not driven away by our anger, bitterness, or doubt. 

Psalm 139 reminds us that there is no place we can flee where God is not already there. We cannot outrun or outmaneuver His relentless, unconditional love. And when we become open and receptive to His Spirit, everything begins to change.

Let’s take a moment to read Psalm 139:1-12:

Lord, You know everything there is to know about me. 

You perceive every movement of my heart and soul, and You understand my every thought before it even enters my mind. 

You are so intimately aware of me, Lord. 

You read my heart like an open book and you know all the words I’m about to speak before I even start a sentence! 

You know every step I will take before my journey even begins. 

You’ve gone into my future to prepare the way, and in kindness You follow behind me to spare me from the harm of my past. 

You have laid Your hand on me! 

This is just too wonderful, deep, and incomprehensible! 

Your understanding of me brings me wonder and strength. 

Where could I go from Your Spirit? Where could I run and hide from Your face? 

If I go up to heaven, You’re there! 

If I go down to the realm of the dead, You’re there too! 

If I fly with wings into the shining dawn, You’re there! 

If I fly into the radiant sunset, You’re there waiting! 

Wherever I go, Your hand will guide me; 

Your strength will empower me.

It’s impossible to disappear from You or to ask the darkness to hide me, for Your presence is everywhere, bringing light into my night. 

There is no such thing as darkness with You. The night, to You, is as bright as the day; there’s no difference between the two.

REFLECT

It can feel intimidating to reflect on how intimately God knows us. His nearness exposes us, leaving us feeling vulnerable and laid bare. Yet when rightly understood, God’s omniscience leads us to feel free and accepted, rather than afraid or ashamed.

God is not surprised by our sin. He is not scared off by our brokenness. With full knowledge of our innermost thoughts and emotions, He still refuses to reject us. He loves us exactly where we are—and graciously invites us to repent, surrendering the fears, habits, and hang-ups that burden us. 

We cannot outrun God’s love. We cannot hide from His presence. Keeping God out is not an option. 

What is an option is surrender—whether we will allow Him to enter into the places that are broken within us and bring healing.

Inviting God into our hearts doesn’t mean welcoming Him into unfamiliar territory. Rather, it means acknowledging Him where He already dwells and granting Him authority over what is rightly His. It means allowing Him to restore us, reshape us, and conform us to His likeness, so that we might love and serve those He died to save.

We cannot prevent God from knowing or seeing us. We can, however, resist His transformational work. Though, resisting God’s loving touch inevitably leaves us feeling lost and unfulfilled. 

When we let go of our resistance and embrace His correction, the darkness within us is transfigured into light—light that overflows into a world desperate for hope.

RESPOND

Take a moment to process what God might be leading you to do in light of what you read. 

• Are you trying to run away or hide from God’s presence? How can you stop resisting His transformational love? 

• What would surrender look like in one specific area of your life this week, and how might God be inviting you to bring healing and light into that space?

REST

Take a moment to rest in God’s presence and consider one thing you can take away from your time reading, then close your devotional experience by praying: 

Abba, thank You for knowing me intimately and loving me completely. Thank You for chasing after me when I try to run from Your love. Lord, free me from the temptation to try and push You away or hide myself from You when I feel ashamed. Remind me that You do not despise or reject me—You rejoice over me with gladness! Father, move me to acknowledge Your presence in every area of my life, even the parts that seem dark, uncouth, and disordered. Empower me to give You permission to change, heal, and transform every part of me. God, take over. Amen.

Port City writer Kate Redenbaugh wrote today’s devotional.