Where could I go to escape from you? Where could I get away from your presence? If I went up to heaven, you would be there; if I lay down in the world of the dead, you would be there. If I flew away beyond the east or lived in the farthest place in the west, you would be there to lead me, you would be there to help me. I could ask the darkness to hide me or the light around me to turn into night, but even darkness is not dark for you, and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are the same to you.
Psalm 139: 7-12 (GNT)
Scripture: Psalm 139: 1-18
A church sign got me thinking about moms and our roles here. It also got me thinking about how we have to watch what we say. This devotion looks at if, as the sign said, moms are substitutes for God.
This week, I went back home. The man who was the preacher at my home church when I was born had died. When I was 11, I became assistant song leader while he was song leader. I was promoted to song leader when I was 13 when he was promoted back to preacher.
It was about a half an hour drive from the church to the cemetery. Coming back, I saw a church sign. I love it when churches have sayings on their signs. This one did.
The sign gave a reason why God created mothers. Being a mother, it made me happy that God entrusted me/us to such an important job.
But then it hit me what the sign said. “Since God can’t be everywhere, He created mothers.”
I almost slammed on the brakes. I was all but screaming, “No, no, No, NO, NOOOO!” It was a good thing no one was behind me.
God Is Everywhere
The Bible is very clear about God being everywhere. Let’s break down Psalm 137: 7-12.
Verse 7: We can try to run; we can try to hide. God is always there.
Verse 8: Living or dead, God is a force to be reckoned with.
Verse 9: If you keep going in a straight line east, you are going to end up where you started. God is always there because there is always something to your east. No matter how far it is, there is something farther. And no matter the distance, God is there.
Verses 11-12: We think we can hide in the dark. Not so from God. “… Darkness and light are the same to you” (Ps. 139: 12 GNT).
But it is a good thing God is there. “You would be there to lead me, you would be there to help me” (Ps. 139: 10 GNT). God doesn’t make us face things alone.
God isn’t up on His throne just looking down on us. He isn’t hands-off. God is involved in our lives.
God guides and directs our paths. “And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left” (Isa. 30: 21 ESV). He is coaching us as we live our lives.
Because He is hands-on, we can’t hide anything from God. “’Am I a God at hand,’ declares the Lord, ‘and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him?’ declares the Lord. ‘Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord’” (Jer. 23:23-24 ESV).
God can see everywhere. “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good” (Prov. 15:3 ESV). He sees all of the good and the bad.
Moms Are Made in the Image of God
Genesis 1: 26-27 tells us that men and women were created in the image of God. That means moms, too.
Moms are a representation of God, not a substitute. They show us different aspects of God.
Have you ever heard your mom’s voice in your head? Oooo, baby. I have. There have been times I have wanted to ask if she had taken up residence there.
God is longsuffering. “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (II Pet. 3: 9 NKJV). Moms are longsuffering, too. They believe in us when it seems no one else does.
God and moms see us as we can be. First Peter 2: 9 says, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (NIV). That is how God — and moms — see us: chosen, holy, special.
Oh, yes. Moms can be a judge, too. Not too long ago, I was recounting a story to my Insomnia Buddy. I don’t remember how old we were. Mom and Dad had already gone to bed. Louise was getting us some milk, but she dropped the almost full Tupperware container. I also got a spanking for screaming and making them think something really bad had happened, not just spilled milk.
Moms are there for us to come back. “You are my hiding place and my shield; I wait for Your word” (Ps. 119: 114 NASB). I can’t count the times that Mom and Dad let me run away from what ever was occurring in my life and go home and recharge. She always had a word of encouragement.
Being Light and Dark
Let’s chase a rabbit a second. Are you wondering about the darkness and light being the same (Ps 139: 10)? John put it this way: “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 Jn. 1:5 ESV).
What that means is God’s Light is so bright, it drives out the darkness. So, everything we thought would be hiding is in plain sight.
Back on track.
How Do We Apply This?
We have to watch what we say. The saying on the church sign was written in a way that Paul Harvey would have said it. Growing up, I loved to listen to Paul Harvey’s radio show, The Rest of the Story. I love his So God Made a Farmer speech.
But we have to be careful that we don’t give the impression that there isn’t a God. Or that we are equal to Him. We aren’t.
We have to be careful how we rationalize things. We can’t change God’s Word to our way of thing. God changes us, not His Word.
I do believe God gave moms a very special job to do here on earth. We just have to realize that God is not only our Father, but He alone is Lord.
Merciful Father. You do give us mentors and teachers who show us Your love and help guide us in our paths. But Lord, these are only Your representatives. In them, we see You. We acknowledge that You alone are God. Help us to see You. Help us to show others Your love and mercy. Amen.
What do you think? How does God use us as representatives to show others His love? Leave me a comment below (about this or anything else) or head over to my Facebook group for some interactive discussion.
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