Light Night Vision

Light

Night Vision

We, like the Psalmist, need to invite God to look into the darkness of our life

To search us in every place, even the darkest places of our thoughts and fears

Why allow God to search the darkness of our lives and thoughts, because

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you. Verses 17,18

Night vision reveals what we fear and hide in the dark

The Psalmist teaches us to pray

O LORD, you have searched me 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. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.

You hem me in — behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Verses 1-7

Is this your prayer?

Night Vision

Night vision technology

came around 40 years ago.

When you and I think of night vision,

 we probably think of some

tactical operation we saw on TV.

With these special cameras or binoculars

on a moonless cloudy night

a person can be seen 200 yards away.

With Image Enhancement, tiny amounts of

light is captured to give a green looking image.

With Thermal Imaging, this technology

operates by capturing the upper portion

of the infrared light spectrum where

heat gives a blueish gray image.

This technology, we have just discovered,

God has given to many animals.

 

We call them nocturnal animals

because they come out at night.

The world is very active at night.

I have loved to fish and some of

the best times to fish are at night

or early morning and evening.

At those times, terror

takes place in the waters.

There is no hiding in

darkness for nocturnal animals.

There is no hiding in darkness

for those with night vision.

In Psalms 139, the Psalmist

realized God has night vision.

He says…

 

If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me

and the night shall be [the only] light about me,

Even the darkness hides nothing from You,

but the night shines as the day;

the darkness and the light are both alike to You.

Psalm 139:11-12 AMP

The Psalmist realized the natural things he

could not see because of darkness, God saw.

Like in the darkness of the womb,

God not only sees, but forms our bodies.

He also recognized God sees in the

darkness of our thoughts and dreams…

 O LORD, you have searched me 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.

Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely,

O LORD.

Whether we want to hide from

 God, like Adam and Eve

Or, we are lost and in fear as

the darkness of life over takes us…

God sees and God is there.

Where can I go from your Spirit?

Where can I flee from your presence?

If 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.

God knows our darkness and wants

to hold our hand to guide us.

He does this by His Spirit who never leaves us.

Today it might not be politically correct to say…

 

If only you would slay the wicked, O God!

Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!

… Do I not hate those who hate you,

O LORD, and abhor those who rise up against you?

 I have nothing but hatred for them;

I count them my enemies.

Verses 19-21

But the Psalmist is expressing his desire

to be free from that type of life.

He sees the darkness of the wicked and says…

Search me, O 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.

Verses 23,24

We, like the Psalmist, need to invite God

to look into the darkness of our life.

To search us in every place, even the

darkest places of our thoughts and fears.

Why allow God to search the darkness

of our lives and thoughts, because…

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!

How vast is the sum of them!

Were I to count them,

they would outnumber the grains of sand.

When I awake, I am still with you.

Verses 17,18

Night vision reveals what we

fear and hide in the dark.

The Psalmist teaches us to pray…

O LORD, you have searched me 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.

Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.

You hem me in — behind and before;

you have laid your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

too lofty for me to attain.

Verses 1-7

Is this your prayer?

Scripture Reading

Psalm 139 NIV

O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. 2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. 3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. 4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.

5 You hem me in — behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," 12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.

13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, 16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.

19 If only you would slay the wicked, O God! Away from me, you bloodthirsty men! 20 They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name. 21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD, and abhor those who rise up against you? 22 I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.