Even There, Even Then

 Where Can I Go (Psalm 139) ~ Ellie Holcomb

even there your hand will guide me,
    your right hand will hold me fast.

~ Psalm 139:10 NIV

 

Our devotional from Friday morning noted Psalm 139:10. To aid in understanding, the girls and I read the whole chapter. I thought the devotional was a good read, but I didn’t think much more about it until that night. The plan was for the four of us to go camping this past weekend, but this fire that we’re in caused our plans to change. At 8:30pm, I had to drive Brad home in a rainstorm, on dark roads, with a foggy windshield. Though we are walking through fire, Friday night felt more like passing through the waters.

 

Life can feel overwhelming, dark, and scary at times. Even then, the Lord will be with you. Even there, He will be your guide. As David said to the Lord, “even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you,” (v. 12).

 

Even if you can’t see the road, or the next step.

Even there, the Lord will light the way.

Even when it feels hopeless, and the fire and waters appear unrelenting.

Even then, the Lord will rejoice over you with singing.

Even when you’ve reached the end of your rope and you can’t seem to find your way back to His peace and joy, again.

Even there, the Lord will be with you; He will hold you, even carry you.

 

Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
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.
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.

~ Psalm 139:7-12 NI

 

Even when the devil attacks.

Even when fear and hopelessness are biting at your heels.

Even when plans change.

Even when you don’t know what to do.

Even there.

Even then.

And always.

The Lord will be with you.

©Heather Potts 2024

Known and Loved

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVVlMQved8k

You Know Me ~ Steffany Gretzinger

 

You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.

~ Psalm 139:1 NIVUK

 

What do athletic socks, a fake plant, and a watermelon have in common? They were all birthday gifts given by women who know me. They know what I need, can handle, and enjoy. Gifts are fun to receive. Some gifts will make you laugh, some will bring you delight, and some will touch a tender spot in your heart, as you realize how well you are known and loved.

 

David, the youngest and smallest son of Jesse, expressed his awe of God in the Psalms. Though David may have been overlooked by his earthly family, his heavenly Father knew and loved him completely:

You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar.
 You discern my going out and my lying down;
    you are familiar with all my ways.
 Before a word is on my tongue
    you, Lord, know it completely, (Psalm 139:2-4)

You are familiar—intimately acquainted—with all my ways… David felt safe in the hands of his God who knew him: his praise and doubts, his rejoicing and rejections, his good deeds and mistakes, his wins and his faults. The Lord knew all these things, and still loved him.

 

We all long to be known, and loved, like that. The same Lord who knew and loved David, knows and loves you. Our Father knows, loves, honors, cares for, created, designed, corrects, disciplines, and teaches us in a personal way. He knows your past and is fully aware of the things you’ve endured and had to overcome; He’s seen your future and knows the preparation you still require to be victorious; He was with you yesterday, He’s journeying with you now, and still, He loves you. You, dear child, are fully known and fully loved.

©Heather Potts 2022

Rollercoasters

I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!

If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,

even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.

~ Psalm 139:7, 9-10 NLT

You know those people who, while riding rollercoasters, throw their hands up, laugh, and seem to really be enjoying the ride? I’m not that person. But somehow, I got talked into riding the Cheetah at Busch Gardens. A friend convinced me that this ride didn’t feel at all like a rollercoaster and I’d like it. The ride was everything I expected… It was smooth, fast, and SCARY! I screamed and cried the WHOLE ride, and continued to cry and shake when it was over.

Recently, I was talking with a friend and likened my life to that of a rollercoaster: fast, out of my control, and filled with lots of turns and drops. I wanted life to feel more like a smooth cruise down a lazy river. But that’s not reality. And truly, we’re much stronger now than we’ve ever been.

So why the fear? The sudden curves tend to catch me off guard. But through my dependence upon and closeness with Christ, I’m better able to be like the other rollercoaster riders: throwing my hands in the air, relinquishing my control, and laughing, remembering that through Christ we have the victory and He will bring us through this, too.

If, like me, you’ve been looking for a way off the rollercoaster of your life, then it’s time we change our perspective. Christ came so we could have life to the fullest, which include victory and laughter. I’ve discovered the closer I draw to Christ, I’m purposefully throwing my hands up in joy and praise, laughing as I realize I was never in control of anything.

©Heather Potts 2016

Seeds of Victory

Strength! Courage! Don’t be timid; don’t get discouraged. ~ Joshua 1:1-9 MSG

Through Jesus, God has given us victory. We must take the seeds of victory He’s already planted and, following the instructions in His Word, help them grow into beautiful fruit-bearing plants. Joshua 1:1-9 gives us some of those keys.

All your life, no one will be able to hold out against you. ~ Joshua 1:5 MSG

Jesus said that because we are called by His Name, people will come against us (Matthew 5:11), but He also says that He has overcome the world, so we need not fear, (John 16:33).

I’ll be with you. I won’t give up on you; I won’t leave you. ~ Joshua 1:5 MSG

Over and over, God promises to never leave us, never abandon us, never forsake us. He says He is with us and He is for us, (Romans 8:31). On our good days and rough days, in our celebrations and our set-backs, He’ll be there. We need to reject the lies of the enemy that we will ever be abandoned or alone! Our Father God promises to never leave us. He is for us and He loves us!

Don’t get off track…get to where you’re going. And don’t for a minute let this Book of The Revelation be out of mind. Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it. ~ Joshua 1:7-8 MSG

The enemy fights hard to steal the victory. But we have been given both power and authority to overcome the enemy, (Luke 9:1). Throughout His Word, God gives us instructions to live by and promises to stand upon so that we are able to live victoriously!

God, your God, is with you every step you take. ~ Joshua 1:9 MSG

“You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me,” (Psalm 139:5 NIV). God goes with us, protects us, and guides us. From the highest height to the deepest valley and every place in between, He will be there if you are there, because He loves you!

©Heather Potts 2016