Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?

If I ascend into heaven, You are there;

If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.

If I take the wings of the morning,

And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

Even there Your hand shall lead me,

And Your right hand shall hold me.

If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,”

Even the night shall be light about me;

Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,

But the night shines as the day;

The darkness and the light are both alike to You.

For You formed my inward parts;

You covered me in my mother’s womb.

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Psalm 139:7-14

I have always believed that the veil that separates the physical world from the spiritual is thin and fragile. Think about it, Stephen saw the throne of God before he died. The apostles met Moses and Elijah at the Transfiguration. Several times we see that the veil has been torn away. 

Along those lines, I think that someday – in heaven – it will be revealed to us that that veil is rent more and more with every prayer. The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit is God. As He indwells us, we are ever before God.  He knows our prayers and the desires of our hearts even when we cannot voice them. 

Christ is our intercessor. He hears our prayers and, in turn, prays for us. The Son of God prays for you and I. That is exciting stuff. 

“We bow before God.” “We enter into His presence.”  “We commune with Him.” “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” We use these phrases in church without giving them much thought. Perhaps someday, we will more fully understand them. Perhaps we will learn that a part of our spirit is literally bowing in the presence of God, even as we bow in prayer on earth. 

In the meanwhile, it is a comfort to me to know that – as the psalmist says – wherever I go, God is there. 

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12-13)

The processionary caterpillar is a strange creature. Feeding primarily off of pine needles, the caterpillars will follow one another around in a line. When the leader proceeds, the followers proceed. When the leader eats, they all eat. Put them on the rim of a jar or pot, however, they follow one another in circles until they starve, even if the jar is full of pine needles.

How often do Christians starve while following another Christian? We lose sight of the true source of our food, our Father who provides for us, and become focused only on a human.

Paul encourages us to work out our salvation with God. In other words, develop a personal relationship with our Savior, and follow and obey him. If we do that, then, when those around us spin around in circles, we will step out of line, follow the true path, and not conform to the confused.