No Escape (2-28-2021)

No Escape 2-28-21 Beginning Scripture: Psalm 139:12-13 Even darkness cannot hide from God... You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit them together in my mother's womb. TLB It is easy to forget that God knows our every thought. Sometimes I think, well, these are MY thoughts as if nobody else sees them. And for that privacy, I am ashamed to admit that I am sometimes grateful. I would not want someone on whom I pass my personal judgements in my mind, to hear them out loud, I wouldn't want my irritations to see the light of day, so to speak. I can think that my thoughts are in my brain and inside my skull where there is no light - at least from the outside. And if I am able to control my normally unconscious facial expressions, how is anyone to know what I am thinking? Nevertheless in that darkness inside my skull, God abides. It would be good for me to be aware of that, and if I were continually aware that God dwells in those dark corners of my brain, then I think I would be embarrassed at what God could see in my imaginations and hear in my self talk. I have often reflected on the fact that God is present even in my darkest moments. Psalm 139 reminds me of one of my favorite sacred songs of all time. The title is, You Are Near, and two of the verses go like this: Yahweh, I know you are near... Standing always at my side. You guard me from the foe, And you lead me in ways everlasting. You know my heart and its ways, You who formed me before I was born In the secret of darkness before I saw the sun In my mother's womb. I don't know for sure, but I think those lyrics had to be based on Psalm 139. I have thought of those first two lines many times when I was in dire straights or when I was running from God and his ways. They have brought me much comfort and those words of that song often bring tears to my eyes, for I am touched by God's tender cherishing presence even in times of my sin and weakness. There is no escape from God's love and his awareness and knowledge of us, no matter how hard we might try. How many people giving their testimonies have you heard who speak of how they were chasing pleasure, material things, and experiences of this world that were exciting and engaging but also disengaging from God, how they were running from their true selves, that is, from their very own souls? Just as there is no escape from God, there is no real escape from our own souls. We are stuck with them whether we like it or not. I've heard it said for folks who are trying to escape, "Wherever you go, there you are." In Psalm 139 we encounter a man who is absolutely spellbound and captivated by his personal relationship with God. He speaks so intimately of that bond. He says, "How precious it is, Lord, to realize that you are thinking about me constantly" (vv 17-18) Have you seen a man and woman who were head over heels in love with each other, who can hardly keep their hands off one another? Have you seen the look in their eyes and the smiles on their faces, their sheer delight just because they in each other's presence. Have you seen a mature couple leaning over a table to hear what each other was saying in a busy restaurant, totally focused on each other and oblivious of what was going on around them? It is that kind of engagement that David seems to have with his God. Also I find myself smiling with delight when I see a young or an old couple who have fallen for each other, still in love - in the grips of love. Romance is a wonderful thing. It is needed to get a young married couple through the difficult period of adjustment in the first years of their marriage. It seems that David's love for the Father approaches romance. Just read the Psalms of David and that love affair leaps out at you. Not that David never abandoned his Father's love, for he did. This is obviously true for couples who have been married for a long time and have had moments or even periods of turning away or had who have had verbal battles and felt miles apart. I cannot count the times that has happened with Helen and me over our more than 50 years of marriage any more than I can count the number of times we have said, I'm sorry and have sought forgiveness from each other. The impression I get of God and David as a couple is that their love endured many ups and downs but even as David grew old, he seems to have kept that spark of passion for his Father. In that way perhaps it is different from human romance which naturally and normally fades over decades. I can say that my passion for my Papa God has grown in my later years. It is what keeps me going and centered and anchored. Jesus is my rock and my strength. I yearn for an even closer relationship with him, I yearn to have his hand in mine especially at difficult times. And as bad as I am about forgetting him at times, I cannot escape his commitment to me, his unerring battle to keep me in his embrace. Questions and Challenges * Re-read Psalm 139. What parts of this Psalm touched you the most? Why do you think you were so touched? * Tell or write a story of an instance in which you have done things that seem as if you were trying to escape God and his love. * Give a few examples of moments in which you have experienced of intimacy with God. * How strong is your desire for more moments like that? Prayer Jesus, I love you. I want an even closer relationship with you. Father, you and I have experienced great intimacy together. Thank you for that. As a faith community we now pray that we might experience the delight of a love affair with you, that we would never be able to keep our hands off of you. Yahweh I know you are near, standing always at my side. May I never forget that. We know your dedication to us, so please Father, enflame in us the fire of that same love. We pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ, our precious Lord and Savior. Amen.