Can you find me God?

If you have been watching the series called “The Chosen,” there is a scene in episode five of season two where Jesus instructs Matthew to keep in his mind a Psalm that he has been memorizing; Psalm 139.  Many of you know it.  As you read the first 12 verses, listen to the assurance of God’s awareness of you at all times.1 You have searched me, Lord,and you know me.2 You know when I sit and when I rise;you perceive my thoughts from afar.3 You discern my going out and my lying down;you are familiar with all my ways.4 Before a word is on my tongueyou, Lord, know it completely.5 You hem me in behind and before,and you lay your hand upon me.6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,too lofty for me to attain.7 Where can I go from your Spirit?Where can I flee from your presence?8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,if I settle on the far side of the sea,10 even there your hand will guide me,your right hand will hold me fast.11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide meand the light become night around me,”12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;the night will shine like the day,for darkness is as light to you.Matthew was about to go into a strange and uncomfortable place that he had never been before. He was going out in obedience to what Jesus was asking him to do.There have been times when I was being sent into new places, strange places, places where I wasn’t sure about going. In fact, Hope Church was one of those places.  Many of you know that I didn’t want the Conference to send Roland and I to Dayton. It certainly didn’t have anything to do with the people at Hope, I didn’t know anyone. I was just unsure. I was leaving everything I knew to go someplace foreign. Could God and I build new meaningful memories in this strange new land?Hagar was cast out of Abraham’s tent because of poor choices that Sarah and Abraham had made. (Genesis 16). Can you imagine how alone and lost she felt?  Yet, and angel of the Lord found her.  Even after losing her home, even after losing her bearings, the Lord knew exactly where to find her.So often we worry – will the Lord be able to find me, speak to me, lead me if I go here or there? But the scriptures assure us that there is no place we can go that the Lord cannot, nor WILL not find us. In fact, He goes before us to meet us in the new places we go.Moses was aware of how unsettled the Hebrews were as they were going into the Promised Land, especially Joshua who would be leading them.  So, Moses told them this promise: “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Deuteronomy 31:8).How could Moses offer such a bold promise? Because he had experienced the Lord’s leading – even when he wasn’t aware of it. We don’t have to worry as we go into the future, as we venture out into new ministries, or even as we go just around the corner. The Lord will go before us, He will be with us no matter where we go (Psalm 139). Trust that He is the God who sees you who knows you and who loves you.