“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.“
Psalm 139:7-10

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Yesterday, we examined how God’s presence brings guidance. Today, we conclude our week by considering how His omnipresence holds us.

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

I grew up in a family that loved sports. We watched most sports on our small family TV (the fact that I grew up with a tube TV should age me). One of the sports we loved to watch together was football.

Over the years I have watched big games where something changes the entire outcome for a team. Several seconds are on the clock, the play is called, and your team somehow runs the ball in for a game-winning touchdown. You jump up and down, screaming excitedly, and then you realize that a little yellow flag was thrown. The referee turns on his microphone and lets everyone know that number so and so was holding on the play. The touchdown is taken back; your team doesn’t score and loses the game.

Holding in football isn’t a good thing. I can think of numerous times when holding is connected to something negative. Yet at other times, holding can be positive: holding keys to a new house, or the hand of someone you love for instance.

David tells us that God’s right hand will hold us. Why is that significant? Let’s look at a few of the specific words he uses.

  1. Right hand: David is very specific when he uses this phrase in verse 10. To be in God’s right hand means highest favor. His presence with you in your circumstances isn’t just Him being next to you; it means that you’re in His favor, and He will hold you through the pain and joys of life.
  2. Took. When David uses the word hold in this verse, the original Hebrew word refers to God taking hold of us. He took hold of you in your circumstances because of His character. The creator God, the King of all creation, chose to take hold of you! Yes, you!
  3. Constant. Understanding that the omnipresent God holds you means that His hold on you is constant. He is never not present. No matter if it’s the darkest of days or the brightest, He will go through all seasons of life with you. He can do that, and no one else can.
  4. Everlasting. If you jump to the New Testament, you read that Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father. That right-hand imagery comes into play again as God the Father looks to the Son with incredible joy and favor beyond our comprehension. When you surrender your life to Jesus, God now sees His son in you, which means His hold on you is an everlasting hold, thanks to the work of Jesus on the cross.

Being held by God is an outworking of His omnipresence, and when we reflect on the goodness of this truth, we can live confidently that God will work in our lives no matter the season. No flag will ever be thrown, and no blessing will ever be taken back because His presence secures His guidance and hold in our lives.

 

Questions for reflection and discussion:

  • How are you experiencing God’s hold on you this week?
  • Why is God as omnipresent so important in how He holds you?
  • Who needs to know this truth in your life this week?

Church Reading Plan:

  • Today, July 5: Jeremiah 1; Matthew 15
  • Saturday, July 6: Jeremiah 2; Matthew 16
  • Sunday, July 7: Jeremiah 3; Matthew 17