Scripture: “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? 8If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. 9If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; 10Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.” – Psalm 139:7-10
Examination of Chapter: This psalm encapsulates three qualities of God: omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence. David acknowledges that God is with him, no matter where he may be (omnipresence), God knows everything he does or says (omniscience), and God is the Creator of all things and can destroy all his enemies (omnipotence). God is always watching over us, caring for us, and protecting us.
Application: During our recent road trip, we visited several national parks that abounded with a variety of amazing animals. We saw moose, deer, bear, eagles, and even a little pika! One of the most majestic animals we saw was the bull elk. This creature is very large in stature with huge antlers. On one occasion, I witnessed a bull elk standing in a clearing and seemingly staring into space. In reality, he was on the alert, constantly surveying the perimeter of his herd of cow elks as they grazed about 50 yards away. He stood looking for any sign of a predator or other approaching danger that would threaten his herd. On another occasion, in a small town, a small herd of cow elk stopped traffic as they calmly walked across the street to the left side. Across the road on the right, a bull elk moved behind a few more cow elk, waiting for them to cross before he followed the group. Both occasions painted a very vivid picture for me of how our heavenly Father watches over us.
Jesus tells us in John 10:29 that we are firmly held in the hand of God. “My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.” God protects us, cares for us, and keeps us secure in Him. He is our “bull elk”. It doesn’t matter if I draw away from him, as pictured by the cow elk grazing a distance from the bull, or if I am close to him, represented by the bull elk who was prodding his cows in the direction they should go across the street, I am secure in my heavenly Father’s hand. I will never lose the salvation that Jesus provided for me through His death, burial, and resurrection. But like a cow elk, I can stray and get myself in a dangerous predicament!
If a cow elk wanders, she becomes vulnerable to predators. Likewise, when I wander away from the Lord (which I do on occasion), I am susceptible to attack from both worldly and spiritual forces. The cow elk can find her way back to the herd by using her sense of smell and hearing, but it could be a perilous journey. She may emit a “lost cow call”, hoping the bull will hear, find her, and bring her back to the herd. When I have strayed from God, I engage my “lost cow call”- my prayers! The Bible affirms that God will hear me and take action in Psalm 91:15, “He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.” God will then answer me through His Word and His Spirit, closing the gap between us, and safely bringing me back to where I should be… near to His heart.
Regardless of the distance between the cows and the bull, that single bull elk steadfastly watches the herd, ready to spring into action at the moment danger is present. He can run at a speed of 40-45 mph to engage the predator. Similarly, regardless of the distance I put between me and the Lord, He is always aware of everything happening to me in my life. Like the cows protected by the bull regardless of the situation, I am protected by my Lord. No matter what I do, no matter what the world throws at me, no matter what Satan tries to do to me, the Bible promises me that I am protected always by the hand of God. Deuteronomy 31:6 states, “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”
The last elk scenario I saw on this trip involved a huge bull elk laying down in the grass near some trees with his head was up and his antlers high. A little bit farther in the area, maybe 20-25 yards away, rested a cow elk in the grass. She was watching all of us “looky-loos”, but showed no distress as she chewed her cud. The bull kept his eye on her, near enough to protect her should the need arise, but close enough that he didn’t have to stand at alert. He could easily rise up and defend her at a moment’s notice because the distance was not great. Like the cow elk, I need to be so close to the Lord that no enemy would dare approach. I must purposely stay near my Lord through prayer and Bible study. By keeping myself in close proximity to God, I am at peace knowing that my soul is safe, and He is ready, willing, and able to fight any spiritual enemy that comes near. Psalm 121:7-8 affirms this, “The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.”
Meditation:
- How wide is the distance between you and God?
- What steps can you take to become even closer?