«ποῦ πορευθῶ ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύματός σου, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ προσώπου σου ποῦ φύγω;» (Ψαλμ. ΡΛΘ᾽ 7)

 “Where could I go from Your Spirit, οr flee from Your face?” (Ps 138:7)

Psalm 138 is a remarkable portrait of the deep awareness the Holy Prophet-King David had of God’s presence in his life. David was well acquainted with every corner of the land of Israel. As a young shepherd, he would wander through the mountains, he spent much of his youth hiding from King Saul in the forests and the caves, and he fought many battles in the plains and deserts of Israel and beyond.

Wherever he would go, David watered the earth with his tears, the natural outpouring of his soul’s deep yearning and love for God. He searched for God to the ends of the earth, but he discovered that it was rather God’s mercy which was pursuing him and which was in fact present everywhere. No matter where he would go, God would already be there waiting to lead him. Amid all his dangers, David saw God’s hand with him, guiding him and keeping him safe. Whenever David lifted his mind to heaven in prayer, he experienced God’s living presence. But even when he descended into the depths of sin, he discovered that God never left him.

God doesn’t only dwell in the heights of heaven, nor is he found only at the ends of the earth, but he even searches out the sinner and seeks to snatch him out from the jaws of Hades. The presence of God which permeates human history and fills every human heart is a reality that no one can escape from. King David and the Saints throughout the ages made this truth their own personal reality by seeking to live in full awareness of God’s presence in their everyday lives.

Let us not allow the years of our life go by in the darkness of ignorance of God’s presence. Let us search for God, yearning to know Him as David did, crying out for His help amid our struggles. And even when we fall into the darkness of sin, let us not forget that God is still there, waiting for us to get up again and to run back into His embrace.

Source: Lychnos April 2018 / May 2018