Thought for Today
Job 21:7 Why do the wicked live on, reach old age, and grow mighty in power? . . . 14 They say to God, 'Leave us alone! We do not desire to know your ways.
Psalm 94:14 For the LORD will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage;
John 16:32 The hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each one to his home, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me.
“Do we sometimes, perhaps counterintuitively, desire that God simply leave us alone?” (These Days, July 14, 2026)
One of the ministers at our church in Houston occasionally talked about ‘the secret places’ in our minds. He would explain his reference by reminding us that most of us have those shadowy places in our minds, the place in our minds we would prefer to keep secret thoughts, temptations, and some emotions hidden from our Creator God.
I thought about that this morning as I read today’s devotional in These Days titled “Leave Me Alone!” The devotional was focused on Psalm 139 and especially, “1 O LORD, you have searched me and known me. 2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away.”
“Around 80% of the world’s population lives in cities, towns, and suburbs rather than rural settlements.” (ourworldindata.org) Having lived my entire life in ‘the big city,’ I know that even when we feel entirely alone, we are most often surrounded by people. Whether we know any of them or not, we are not alone. Additionally, I have spent almost my entire life as part of a family unit. First as a child of my parents with 2 siblings. Then, as a husband and later also a father. Even when no one else is at home, I am not truly alone.
In the midst of all that togetherness, however, there are those times when I seek the solitude of being alone. When I am preparing these Thoughts, when I am researching for a sermon, or sometimes when I am tired but not sleepy, I seek ‘alone time.’ I suspect I am not unique in any of this.
All of that, however, is not what this author was reflecting on. This devotional was grappling with the issue of God’s omniscience, omnipotence and omnipresence. As I read this morning, I remembered all of those sermons and discussions about our predilection for trying to hide things from our Creator God. It is probably the height of hubris to actually believe that we creatures can truly keep anything secret from our Creator. In reflecting on Psalm 139, the author said, “sometimes this psalm bothers me.”
Does it fret you that God knows your sitting down and your rising up? Don’t answer too quickly! There are serious implications in the truth revealed in that Psalm. There are serious consequences for each of us in God’s omniscience, omnipotence and omnipresence.
Whether I am in the midst of the largest crowd ever assembled in downtown Houston, Boston or anywhere else, whether I am all alone at home or in the middle of the world’s largest wilderness or desert, God is right there with me. In the middle of any crowd, I find that idea reassuring and comforting. Were I a soldier in the heat of battle, I would find that comforting. God’s presence is not a shield from any potential violence in crowds or during battles; but, it means I do not have to face any of that alone. More than once, I have recited Psalm 23, “4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” (KJV)
I am human. Sometimes I am more human than I like to admit. Like all humans, sometimes I think or even say things I would prefer no one else knows about. Admittedly, I do not have any deep, dark, demonic secrets in my life. I do have thoughts and words I would really like to erase from my mind, bury deeply in some dark, hidden hole. When I ponder on that, I echo the words of today’s devotional, “Doesn’t’ God ever take a break?”
The bad news is, God never takes a break. The good news is, God never takes a break. To do so would contravene the very nature of God. As my systematic theology professor so often reminded us, God can do anything except not be God.
Today I will echo the closing prayer in that devotional, “Thank you, Lord, that, despite knowing everything about me, you still put up with me. Amen.”
Thank God for walking with us through those valleys, trust God,
Pastor Ray