Psalm 139 for Psalm Sunday

I am traveling this weekend to an ACLEA (Association for Continuing Legal Education) conference in San Francisco. I’m looking forward to spending some time with colleagues who are in the same business as I am. It is comforting to know that there are other people who face the same issues at work as I do, and I love sharing advice and ideas with the friends that I have made in this wonderful and supportive organization.

Even more comforting is knowing God will be with me as I travel. This Psalm is a great one to meditate on when traveling, and so I thought it would be a good one to share while I’m away from home. It’s kind of long so I have skipped a couple of parts, but you can read the whole Psalm here.

Psalm 139

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

 ¹ O Lord, you have examined my heart
      and know everything about me.
 ² You know when I sit down or stand up.
      You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
 ³ You see me when I travel
      and when I rest at home.
      You know everything I do.
 ⁴ You know what I am going to say
      even before I say it, Lord.
 ⁵ You go before me and follow me.
      You place your hand of blessing on my head.
 ⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
      too great for me to understand!

 ⁷ I can never escape from your Spirit!
      I can never get away from your presence!
 ⁸ If I go up to heaven, you are there;
      if I go down to the grave, you are there.
 ⁹ If I ride the wings of the morning,
      if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
 ¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
      and your strength will support me.
 ¹¹ I could ask the darkness to hide me
      and the light around me to become night—
    ¹² but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
   To you the night shines as bright as day.
      Darkness and light are the same to you.

* * * * * 

 ¹⁷ How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.
      They cannot be numbered!
 ¹⁸ I can’t even count them;
      they outnumber the grains of sand!
   And when I wake up,
      you are still with me!

* * * * *

²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart;
      test me and know my anxious thoughts.
 ²⁴ Point out anything in me that offends you,
      and lead me along the path of everlasting life.