Devotional: No Hiding Place: Psalm 139:7-12

President Richard Nixon served as president of the United States from 1972 to 1974. He resigned from office August 9, 1974. He was charged with obstruction of justice in attempting to impede the investigation of the Watergate break-in, protect those responsible and conceal the existence of other illegal activities. He was also charged with abuse of power by using the office of the presidency on multiple occasions. Simply stated, President Nixon tried to hide the truth.

I have been guilty of trying to hide truth in my lifetime. I did not want those who had authority over me to know what I had done. I lied to my parents, teachers, siblings, classmates, and many others. Sometimes I wanted to keep my friends and classmates from knowing the truth about myself and the things that I had done. The truth is this: Sometimes we are able to cover up our mess in the eyes of people. Yet the truth is known. The truth is never hidden completely because we cannot hide from God.

In Psalm 139 David writes confessing that God knows everything about Him and everything that he has done. God even knows what we will do. David confessed that God knows us before we are born. He knows our thoughts before we think them. David confesses that God is omniscience. He knows everything. God is omnipresent. He is everywhere at the same time. God is omnipotent. He has all power and can do what he wants to do.

In verses 7-12 David admits that with God there is no hiding place. The highest heavens are not too high for God to reach. The lowest depths into the earth are not too deep for God to reach. Darkness does not prevent God from seeing because Darkness is light in the eyes of God. So, we may be able to hide from others our sins, but God knows our hearts. No acts of worship that impress others can fool God. He knows all about us. Thus, the partial words of a song that I remember from my childhood say: “No hiding place down here, there’s no hiding place down here. O! I went to the rocks to hide my face, the rocks cried out no hiding place. There’s no hiding place down here.””

Prayer: Lord we thank you that we cannot hide from You in any situation. Amen.