Unshackled Moments ~ September 3 ~ Making Our Bed In Hell

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.

~ Psalm 139:7-8

These scriptures where used as as the verse of the day by a minister friend of mine, and when I opened the daily e-mail and saw them the memories hit me pretty hard and reminded me of God's faithfulness. You see, these verses became important to me during my incarceration. It's an awesome (as in truly  and extremely impressive or daunting; inspiring great admiration, apprehension, or fear;  breathtaking, magnificent, wonderful, amazing, stunning, staggering, stirring, fearsome, mind-blowing, jaw-dropping, excellent, and marvelous) that there is nowhere we can run that we will get beyond  the reach of the Father. Sure it's nice to remember that "if He leads you to it, He will lead you through it," but if you're anything like me, the worst and most painful times have been a result of not following His lead.

Sometimes we may feel like we can't cry out to God for help because the mess we're in is our fault. We imagine God acting like an upset parent saying "you made your bed, now lie in it." That's how I felt about prison. I did the crime and now I had to do the time...alone. Then one day I read these verses, and I lay in my rack and cried. Literally that morning I had made my bed in hell on earth, and it was my rebellious prodigal spirit that took me to that place. And here was a verse reminding me that the Father in the prodigal son story stood on the porch waiting to welcome his son home, not to berate him and condemn him or show some "tough love." Even though I put myself in that place and made my bed in hell I could find Him there with me. I wasn't alone.

No matter what you are going through today, whatever in your circumstances and situation may feel and hurt like hell, He is there. Even if you got there entirely on your own and it's all your fault and you deserve it, His presence is promised, and His mercies are new every morning. Like Jonah's days in the fish and my days in prison, you may have to do the time, but  you don't have to do it alone. Turn quickly to Him and let His love comfort you.