SOAP 04/29/2012; Psalm 139:12

Today's reading: 2 Samuel 4,5; Psalm 139; Matthew 16
     
S)"¹² Even the darkness is not dark to You,
And the night is as bright as the day.
Darkness and light are alike to You."
     

Psalm 139:12 (NASB)

     

O) This whole psalm is speaking of God's omniscience and omnipresence; David is acknowledging that God is more aware than he can even truly know (see v.6). In this verse, he is using darkness as the setting when people are at their worst, as he alludes in vs.11, saying the darkness will overwhelm him. This is significant because darkness is often when people are up to no good, thinking no one will see them. This is why it's shocking when people do things bad in the daytime and people react by saying things like, "He did it in broad daylight!" It's not that doing in the light makes it worse, it's that it just makes it more audacious... anyway, the point of this verse is that God cannot be deceived. Dark, light, under covers, on a rooftop, in a closet, or on TV, God sees and knows it all.
   
A) David wrote this psalm, not as a confession or caution, but relative to God's saving hand. I need to remember that God sees my affliction, He's not unaware. He hasn't been distracted or disarmed, He is not fooled or misled. If I am facing great affliction, or I feel like I am fighting a battle, I can have the full confidence that God is watching it. So, as long as I am proceding according to His will, then I know that He will bless me. Furthermore, He sees what I would otherwise miss. I can certainly be deceived and I can certainly miss dangers and fall into unseen traps. With God helping, though, I can be made aware of the unseen. My God is better than night vision goggles.

     

P) Father, You are truly great and mighty to save! Knowing that You are my strength, You are my deliverer, You are my protection, provision, and security, this comforts my spirit beyond words, Father. You see things with perspective I cannot obtain. You see things with clarity that is too much for me. Holy Spirit, lead me when I am in darkness. Speak to me of the unseen dangers. Keep me safe and guide me when I do not know what is really around me, when the dangers are beyond my own perception. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.