Psalm 139:7-12

“I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! 8 If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. 9 If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, 10 even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. 11 I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night— 12     but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you.

After seeing the first and second couplet, the Highest and the Lowest and the Fastest and the Farthest, now we come to the last couplet:

• The Lightest and the Darkest (vv. 11-12)

Some people’s behavior reflects their believe that God cannot see in the dark. You see so often sin occurs in the dark, because there are many who think that God cannot see what they do if they do it in the dark. In John 3:19 Jesus said that men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil. But it’s here that the Psalmist reveals the truth about trying to hide from God in the darkness. God is not blinded to our behavior just because our deeds are done in darkness. The Apostle John taught us in 1 John 1:5 that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. The truth that God is light, means His presence guarantees light. God’s light destroys the darkness so whether you are trying to hide from God under the cover of darkness, or you are just scared of the dark, his presence can serves to convict as well as comfort. Only God can light the dark places of our lives, so if you are dealing with darkness don’t be afraid rest in the power of His presence. This though is illustrated by the story of a young girl who was left alone at home one night when her parents were called away on an emergency. They reassure her that everything would be ok, they locked the house and said that they would be back as quickly as they could. Unfortunately they were gone longer than they thought they would be so they were concerned that she would be very upset when they got home. But upon returning she assured them that she wasn’t afraid. She said “When you’re here, God expects you to take care of me. But when you’re gone, He does it all by Himself!” This story stands in sharp contrast to the young boy who spilled some milk on the kitchen floor one evening before going to bed and his mother told him to go out and get the mop from the back porch to clean it up. To which he responded “I can’t it’s dark out there, and I’m scared!” The mother tried to reassure him that Jesus was with him and that there was nothing to be afraid of. So finally, he mustered up enough courage to stick his head out the door and call out into the darkness, “Lord, if You’re there, could you hand me the mop please!” We may laugh at this story but the truth is that is the way many of us live our lives, and for some of us our whole lives. Instead of walking by faith we wilt in fear. Instead of living powerful lives we live paralyzed ones. Are you following in faith or are you frozen by fear? There are many things we can be scared of in this life but as Romans 8:31 says: “if God is for us who can be against us.” What about you are you being controlled by fear or the Father? To shed light on the power of God’s presence I want to share with you the story of the Cherokee rite of passage every young brave must take to become a man. On the eve of the young brave’s passage into manhood, after learning hunting, fishing, and tracking skills, he was put to one final test. He was put into a dark, dense forest, and was expected to spend the entire night alone. Up until that point he had never been separated from his family and tribe where he had experienced safety and security. But on this night, he was blindfolded and taken several miles into the forest to survive the night alone. After what seemed like and eternity, finally dawn would break, and as the first rays of sunlight started to break through the dense forest to his astonishment he would see the outline of a man standing there holding a bow and arrow. It was his father, who had been there all night, watching over his son, protecting him even though he couldn’t see him. What a powerful picture of our Father, who’s there, even though we cannot see Him. Watching over us like a warrior, protecting us. Maybe today you feel like that young brave, just trying to survive a dark place, surrounded and engulfed by the darkness. Maybe it’s a tragedy or a difficult trial that’s closing in on you. You feel lost in a jungle, stumbling in the dark not knowing which way to turn. May be you are even starting to question whether God loves you or whether He is even there. You know what the Bible says but you are starting to question your belief, maybe He’s not really here, maybe He can’t really see the darkness of my problem, or maybe He doesn’t even care. As the darkness closes in we can become discouraged and depressed. But as we look to this Psalm we are reminded that no matter how dense the darkness God is there watching over and protecting us. Even in the darkness, even when we cannot see Him He is there. If you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ then come back to the confident promise of Christ’s Words found in Matthew 28:20 “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Even if you are facing the darkest place of all, what in Psalm 23 David calls the “valley of the shadow of death” we can have confidence. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” Why? Because “YOU are with me, your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.” From the Highest and the Lowest, the Fastest and the Farthest, or the Lightest and the Darkest, God is with us guiding and guarding our lives. Do you believe that God can deliver you from the darkness? There is nothing that we face that is bigger than our Father. Today are you going to focus on the darkness and the difficulties or on your faith in the Deity?