Psalm 139 is a personal prayer and song of praise to God. A psalm. Salem Media Group. Scripture advises to take our thoughts captive. God would be there as well (vv. Jonah learned a great lesson on our behalf: Yahweh, the God of the Bible, is everywhere. But it is up to US to realize that He is with us, and to ACT like He is. In the belly of the fish, God was with Him. Then, move in closer and ask Can you be here and be in the next room? Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising; Thou understandest my thought afar off. But Gods view is limitless, transcending time and space. When we seek to learn, when we look for help or healing, when we express gratitude or anxiety, and when we celebrate blessings we pray. He is not surprised by our physical or mental struggles! When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you.. New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995). If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Your hand will lead me, and Your right hand will lay hold of me.. 139:8 2. wings of the dawn (i.e., east) - remotest part of the sea (i.e., Mediterranean Sea to the west), Ps. And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? Gods sovereign control is complete, not partial, John Piper explains on desiringGod, Whether its more or less direct or more or less indirect, more or less by active intrusion or more or less by tactical permission- however it is, God controls it, and the control is complete and pervasive. But what does the poet mean when he says, Do I not hate them, O Jehovah, that hate thee? (v. 21). Isaiah 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. He knows us, intimately better than we know ourselves! And You are intimately acquainted with all my ways. What does David mean, then, when he wrote verses 15-22? Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: Depart from me therefore, ye bloodthirsty men. His presence fills the heavens and the earth! David understood, innately, that there is nowhere in which God's presence could not be seen, or known. I Thessalonians 2:16 says that Gods wrath will come upon them to the uttermost. Try to use some from the beginning of the series and some more recent attributes for the warm up review. We have His protection and power just as much with us in those places as we do right here. You hem me in behind and before,and you lay your hand upon me. Wherever we are; He is always there. The journey of each human heart is unique, purposed, and intimately known by the One True God. He will be with you! For the choir director; a psalm by David. Hewas sitting beside you as youmade every click of the mouse on your computer do you realize that? He wanted Gods help to rid himself of any wicked thought, word, or deed. Theologian Thomas Oden writes: No atomic particle is so small that God is not fully present to it, and no galaxy is so vast that God does not circumscribe it. You are not just in His presence on Sunday morning you are just as much in His presence on Friday and Saturday night! He acknowledges that God formed his organs; he reflects upon how his Maker knitted him together; how the Lord embroidered him like an ornate rug; how the Creator saw his undeveloped form. There is infinitely more happening in the world and our lives than we can plausibly see. David wanted to be right with God. Our memory verse for the week isWhere can I go from Your Spirit? God knows our thoughts and our words before we speak. Hopefully theyll say theyre in their classroom, at church, or theyll name your city or maybe someone will say that theyre on earth. God's knowledge of us and His presence in our lives is complete and perfect. if theyre not a match, for each attribute turned up, say the definition and for each definition say the attribute. Those are some pretty challenging places: Hinduism and Buddhism are entrenched in India and Nepal, and our folks will have physical challenges of climbing to some of the highest places in the world. David contemplates his own creation and development as a pre-born child. 6 such Manage Settings Because God is everywhere, what a difference it should make in a number of areas of our lives: At the State Evangelism Conference a few weeks ago, one of the preachers said he was tired of hearing worship leaders say things like: Lets ask God to come and meet with us or Lets pray that God would come down to us here today, etc. Some of the truths to discuss are: God knows His people- He has to be present where we are to know us. Notice how in the next few verses "contrasts" are used to show the full extent of truths about God's omniscience and omnipresence. Savior, Jesus! Search me, O God, and know my heart: Try me, and know my thoughts; And see if there be any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting (19-24). Get Your Bible Minute in Your Inbox Every Morning. God is impossible to escape from. We saw last week that Elishas servant Gehazi tried to sneak away and take some money and clothing that he was not supposed to take. (Now, too many have used this as a cheap excuse to do what Hebrews 10 says that we should NOT do: forsake the assembling of yourselves, as if the habit of some, but encouraging one another . Quarantine puts us in our rooms alone for half a months time! But even when the physical presence of other people is absent from our lives, we are never alone. Applications of the Doctrine of Gods Omnipresence: We often default to a critical view of ourselves and others. Cant wait to continue our series of truths about God! I will give thanks unto thee; For I am fearfully and wonderfully made: Wonderful are thy works; And that my soul knoweth right well. 1. ascend to heaven - make my bed in Sheol, Ps. 139:1 O LORD, You have searched me and known me. ANSWERS His omniscience (verses 1-6) . 9-10). 23-24). Prayer is conversation with God, layered with all of these intricate levels which contribute to our relationship with God our Father. Give each child a blank piece of paper provide markers or colored pencils. He knows us, intimately better than we know ourselves! In 2023, read the Verse of the Day in your inbox. God was with when you made that business deal last week. God has perfect knowledge of us,Matthew Henry wrote, and all our thoughts and actions are open before him. We cannot control the thoughts popping into our minds all day long, every day. He continues, This is not personal vindictiveness. We are known, loved, and never alone. Each talent, gift, and occupation have a place in the workforce of the Kingdom of God. Verse seven begins with a question, and David knows the answer. If only you, God, would slay the wicked! Where can I flee from your presence? How vast is the sum of them! Omnipresence means God is everywhere, simultaneously. The sacrifice Jesus made on the cross negated the shame which compelled Adam and Eve to hide from God in the garden. You understand my thought from afar. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:24) When we pray this verse, God faithfully answers! God is there. He soon found that there was no such place! Omni means all, present means here the doctrine of Gods omnipresence means that God is always present; He is everywhere. The psalmist is confident that God knows everything about him. Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty! Or where can I flee from Your presence? Great lesson! God sees every one of them. God knows what we're doing- sitting, standing, going out. Heaven itself, the highest heaven, cannot contain Thee; how much less this house that I have built. This church does not contain God; there is not a building that could. A Psalm of David. Who we are is meant to bring reverence to God. 139 1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me! If I could count them, they would outnumber the sand. C. God Knows Everywhere I Go. Try Bible Gateway Plus free today! Such [infinite] knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high [above me], I cannot reach it. 8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If someone thinks that the torments of hell will come from fire, or from the punishments that the devil or his demons might be able to afflict on them, they are mistaken. religious corporation as defined under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Your care and love for us is like nothing else. Then, say something like, although were always in Gods presence now because God is everywhere, there is still something that separates us from God. You have searched me, LORD,and you know me. Your donation gift(s) are very much appreciated and may qualify as a charitable deduction for federal income tax purposes. But because of this doctrine of Gods omnipresence, we can have the confidence that no matter where we go in this world, we need not fear; God is there. Bibles, previous attribute of God posters, a large piece of paper with the wordsGOD IS OMNIPRESENT written on it, key verse (Psalm 139:7) printed on a piece of paper, blank paper and markers or colored pencils for each child in the group, 12 small pieces of paper to review the attributesif(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'ministry_to_children_com-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_4',122,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-ministry_to_children_com-large-mobile-banner-1-0'); Ask one of the kids in the group to remind you what youre learning this year. In verses 19-24, the psalmist distances himself from the wicked and asks God to help him live in such a way that pleases God. Ps 7:9; Prov 17:3; Jer 11:20; 1 Thess 2:4, Ps 146:9; Prov 15:9; 28:10; Jer 25:5; 36:3. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare, and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. Twice there it uses that phrase: from the presence of the Lord. Jonah seemed to think, like many of the ancient peoples, that there was a god for each country, and if he leftIsrael, that he could escape from the presence of Yahweh. It is His ever-presence which will make heaven what it will be. He suggests that even if he could do the following things which he could not God would still be there before him. Omnipresence means God. So much injustice, unfairness, tragedy and heartbreak surround everyday circumstances world-wide. For less than $5/mo. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. But we do have some say over what happens to them once they arrive. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); A Southern Baptist pastor for almost 35 years, I currently serve as Senior Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Angleton, Texas, and post my weekly sermons on this site, as well as a brief overview for Sunday School teachers of the weekly Lifeway "Explore the Bible" lesson. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising; Thou understandest my thought afar off. Proud member Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. All rights reserved. In the middle of the sea, God was with him. Some kids will probably say heaven, which needs to be acknowledged as a correct answer. Copyright Ministry-to-Children. He mentions that there are wicked men. Though the curse of sin we live under compels us to do the samerun and hide when we sinGod made a way for us, through Jesus, to bring our sin to His feet and confess and repent of it. Quote: In comparing the omniscience and omnipresence of God, Matthew Henry expressed it like this: document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'ministry_to_children_com-large-billboard-2','ezslot_0',171,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-ministry_to_children_com-large-billboard-2-0');report this adMinistry-To-Children.com helps you tell kids about Jesus by providing age-appropriate Bible study material and Sunday School curriculum all 100% free online. I, p. 67) This is what we mean by the doctrine of the Omnipresence of God. 139:1 - God has thoroughly searched/investigated your life.and He KNOWS you. After a few minutes, bring the group back together and give kids time to share what they have drawn or written. No one knows you better than God, because he created you! No space is without the Divine Presence. (Systematic Theology, Vol. He knows what we will do. (P)Darkness and light are alike to You. He could take the fastest ship to the most remote territory, but God was always there. get to know the Bible better! 5 You have encircled me behind and in front, And placed Your . All rights reserved. (You might want to read John 14:16-20 and point out that if you are a follower of Jesus and have turned to Him for forgiveness that you are in Him and He is in God). Even in hell/sheol/the Lake of Fire to come. But this truth is not limited to worship in a church building. The sacrifice Jesus made on the cross negated the shame which compelled Adam and Eve to hide from God in the garden. Talk about what these verses tell us about who God is and where God is. Psalm 139 helps us to see ourselves and others through Gods perspective. Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. In verses 19-24, the psalmist distances himself from the wicked and asks God to help him live . He says if I could take the wings of the dawn in other words, if somehow he could sprout wings and travel at the speed of light if he could fly as fast as the morning sunlight which rises in the east and almost instantly shines to the furthest reaches of the west, he could not escape the presence of God. What a God we serve! God moves through our earthly lives to spread the gospel. 3 You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. This is lesson 25 of 42 in our study on the Attributes of Godcalled Can you tell me what God is like? Visit the series index to view all the lessons and get more ideas for using this curriculum in your childrens ministry. In You, and You alone, we find peace, love, joy, forgiveness, and mercy. What must His wrath be, whose majesty is so awful, that no man could live in the sight of it! Hes numbered our days. The punishments of hell will be from the omnipresent, thrice-holy God of justice and wrath. Not a fear to be afraid of, but a respectful, reverence for God. Although God's vast knowledge of an individual's deeds can be reassuring for the righteous, it should be frightening for the wicked. Psalm 139 is a psalm of prayer, meant to be sung in praise at worship services. Read through Psalm 139 and have kids point out the truths that this one Psalm teaches us about God and the fact that He is omnipresent (or everywhere all the time). This Psalm 139 made me realize that wherever I am, God is always with me and that God has a perfect knowledge of me, and all my thoughts and actions are open before him. And You are intimately acquainted with all my ways. That same Psalm goes on to say: In Your presence is fullness of joy. If we would only realize that God is with us every moment of our lives, what a difference it would make; what a comfort we would find in that constant presence! My frame was not hidden from thee, When I was made in secret, And curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Those who follow Christ will be welcomed into heaven for eternity upon death on this earth. Our church, First Baptist Moss Bluff, has a number of challenging missions partnerships. We were made to glorify God. 5 you hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. His omnipresence will also be known in hell. SAY: This morning were talking about the truth that God is Omnipresent (or everywhere all the time). . This is an amazing prayer. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,too lofty for me to attain. We love to go places and see things. 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Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated, ye bloodthirsty men in the room... Know ourselves not hate them, O God: Depart from me therefore, ye bloodthirsty.. Each talent, gift, and intimately known by the One True God about him quarantine puts us our! The definition and for each definition say the definition and for each definition the. 139 is a psalm of prayer, meant to be afraid of, but God was with.! Sheol, Ps or mental struggles by our physical or mental struggles Images!, email, and to ACT like he is tell me what is! Has a number of challenging missions partnerships ; re doing- sitting, standing, going.... Time and space ; a psalm by David His wrath be, whose majesty is so awful that. He knows you truth is not surprised by our physical or mental struggles from omnipresent... God of justice and wrath us in those places as we do have some say over happens! In a church building better than we know ourselves following things which he do... 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