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

Though they dig down to the depths below,
    from there my hand will take them.
Though they climb up to the heavens above,
    from there I will bring them down.
Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel,
    there I will hunt them down and seize them.
Though they hide from my eyes at the bottom of the sea,
    there I will command the serpent to bite them.

Amos 9:2-3

In the Psalm, the reverence and awe for God’s sovereign omnipresence is worshipful; David is exalting God as he honors him. This Psalm is probably more famous for the later passage where David acknowledges that he is “fearfully and wonderfully made.”

In Amos’ prophesy, the prophet is raising a warning with an air of finality. His message is closing in this chapter and the prophetic word points to God’s omnipresence. “There’s nowhere you can run,” God says, “but I can find you all.”

We have a very clear distinction between these two postures toward the same quality of God. We can either fear God’s power or be comforted by it. It all comes down to our relationship with Him.

Ethan Kirl