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 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[a] 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.
(Ps 139:7-12)
Psalm 139 – a Psalm of David – is a hymnic meditation on God’s omnipresence and omniscience. The psalmist is keenly aware of God’s all-knowing gaze (Ps 139:1-6), of God’s presence in every part of the universe (Ps 139:7-12), and of God’s control over the psalmist’s very self (Ps 139:13-16). Summing up Ps 139:1-16, 17-18 express wonder. There is only one place hostile to God’s rule – wicked people. The psalmist prays to be removed from their company (Ps 139:19-24). (USCCB)
