Wherever I am and whatever I do, Lord, you are with me.

I had to fly out to Germany this week to attend the funeral of my mother, who passed last week at age 88.

As you may imagine, it was not an easy trip for me, as there was grief and mourning. However, I also know my mum had a full and blessed life and was pretty fit until a few weeks ago, and for that I am very grateful.

As a pastor’s wife she had been very active in our village providing classes and groups, teaching recorder and guitar, offering meetings for the village women, writing Christmas Carols, and, together with my father, they had organised dozens of holiday trips for both, youth and adults. For many farmers those were the first trips in their life.

Among other things she had organised the Sunday School in our village for over 30 years, and one part of their children’s liturgy was a selection of Psalm 139, in child appropriate language. The children repeated after every verse: “Wherever I am and whatever I do, Lord you are with me.”

This verse was used in the eulogy. It described her kind of faith so well.

Wherever I am

We live in times when many of us have the chance to travel, visit other countries and people. That is such a blessing in itself.

Think for a minute about all the places you might have seen, the adventures you had, whether on a cruise ship or with family overseas, making friends you might still be in contact with even years later.

You might have found the love of your life while travelling, as I did. Usually our travels are very safe. Nonetheless, things can go wrong at times, there might be missed planes, or booking mistakes. Isn’t it comforting to know that wherever you are, God is there already.

The first three verses of the psalm lead into this confidence (NIV): “You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.”

We are not left alone when we leave our home places. This was a very special understanding of Israel, as its neighbours had idols, often fixed to a place in the house or at a temple.

The idea that God is not bound to one location, but is omnipresent, in all places, is an essential part of our faith. God is not only in the church building, but God is where we are. He is always around us, holding his protective hand over us.

Whatever I do

As Christians we also believe that God is willing to forgive us when we mess up. God loves us not for what we do, but for who we are, his children.

When we do things God does not approve of, he still loves us, offers forgiveness and grace, and tries to guide us in a new direction and help us to repent.

Part of repentance is to try to live more Christ like, to love God and our neighbour as ourselves. We also realise that we will always miss that mark in some way.

We live in a fallen world, and we are limited in our moral and ethical capacity. As Paul says in Romans 3:23 (NLT): “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”

God already knows what we plan or where we go, he knows everything. Psalm 139 puts that into words as well (Verses 4-12):

“Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.

“Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?

“I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me,     your right hand will hold me fast.

“If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,’ even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.”

So yes, wherever we may go, even if we try to hide from God, and whatever we do, even if our conscience tells us that we are on a slippery slope, God is still around us, ready to help, bless, forgive and guide us. All we have to do is reach out.

Lord, you are with me.

I remember, when we had been lucky in some way, when an accident was just avoided, my father used to say: “God put his thumb between” and thus kept us safe. God is that close.

The Psalms were the hymns and prayers of the Old Testament. Later in the New Testament, Jesus taught the people that God’s kingdom is close. In the Greek text it literally says, God’s kingdom is “at hands reach”.

We can reach out to God’s kingdom right now and right here, God is so close to us, that we can get a foretaste of his kingdom even in our fallen world.

God invites us to live in his kingdom already, to let him rule and practise true living, living without all those silly fears, prejudices, suspicion, without our limitations, but life that brings a bit of God and his love into our chaotic and often messy world.

As Christians we are called to trust our faith so much that we can actually make a difference. We all have the potential and power to bring positivity and love into the darkness around us, so that “ … even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you”.

We can lighten up our world by random acts of kindness, by smiling friendly at our neighbours, by being honest and helpful.

We don’t have to be selfish or greedy, we can trust that the Lord is with us, wherever we are and whatever we do.

After the psalmist admits that he still has sometimes bad thoughts and even hatred in his heart, he ends with the verses (23 — 24): “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

• Karsten Decker is the temporary pulpit supply at Centenary United Methodist Church in Smith’s