Life Lessons Learned
We’ve all had moments when we wished no one was watching. Moments when temptation whispered just loudly enough to make us glance over our shoulder. And maybe, like a certain three-year-old girl, we even hoped Jesus would just “leave us alone” for a minute.
The story came from a mother who had been using a preschool Bible curriculum I’d written. Her little girl came inside, huffing in frustration: “I wish He’d leave me alone.” The mother, curious, looked outside—no one was there. Again and again, the little one repeated the wish. Finally, her mother asked, “Who?” The girl answered honestly: “Jesus.”
It turned out that day’s Sunday School lesson was “Jesus Always Sees Me.” The little girl had been eyeing a bed of forbidden flowers and was struggling with the uncomfortable awareness that she wasn’t alone. She didn’t want to be seen while she picked them. And isn’t that familiar? That instinct to want space—freedom from accountability—especially when our hearts are leaning toward something we know isn’t right.
David’s Different View of God’s Nearness
Psalm 139 offers us a window into King David’s heart—and his perspective is radically different from the little girl’s, and from ours more often than we care to admit. He doesn’t resent God’s presence. He relishes it.
David writes:
“Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?”
—Psalm 139:7 (NIV)
These aren’t rhetorical questions driven by fear—they’re filled with awe and comfort. David realizes that there is no place so dark, no circumstance so buried, no thought so hidden, that God cannot see and reach. And far from making him uncomfortable, it reassures him. He even says in verse 12:
“Even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.”
This isn’t the voice of someone trying to escape God’s watchful gaze. This is someone who has come to trust that God’s attention is never hostile, but healing. David understood what so many of us forget: we live in darkness, and only a God who sees in perfect light can truly guide us.
When God’s Presence Feels Like a Threat
We often feel tension about God’s omnipresence because we misunderstand its purpose. We imagine Him as a celestial policeman, eager to catch us in the act of sin. But that’s not the God David knew—and not the God who watches over us.
The little girl in the story didn’t want to be seen because she wanted to do something wrong without guilt. That’s human nature. Even in the garden, Adam and Eve hid after eating the fruit. They weren’t afraid of punishment alone—they were ashamed of exposure. That’s what sin does: it makes us afraid of the Light.
But Scripture doesn’t portray God’s presence as something to escape. Rather, it is something to cherish. As the great Christian thinker Ignatius of Loyola once wrote: “In two ways the presence of God is an antidote against sin: first, because God sees us, and, secondly, because we see God.”
The more we see Him—the more we perceive not just His authority, but His goodness—the more our desire to sin begins to lose its grip. We begin to desire His presence instead of fearing it. We realize He watches not to punish, but to protect.
From Surveillance to Shepherding
The Hebrew in Psalm 139 speaks of a God who “hemmeth” us in—who encircles us, who lays His hand upon us (v. 5). The image is not that of a prison, but a refuge. God’s knowledge of us isn’t used as evidence against us, but as compassion for us. David’s response is to invite God even deeper into his life:
“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.”
—Psalm 139:23–24
That’s not a plea for space. It’s an invitation for transformation. David wants God to know him fully—even the parts he cannot understand himself. The word translated “search” in Hebrew (chaqar) implies a thorough and loving examination. Not the harsh scrutiny of an enemy, but the loving inspection of a Father who knows what’s best for His child.
The Gift of Being Fully Known
There is deep freedom in being fully known and still fully loved. That’s what God offers us in Psalm 139. He knows us from the inside out. He formed us in the womb (v. 13–16), He understands our thoughts from afar, and He ordains each day before it comes to pass. There’s no confusion, no misunderstanding, no corner of our lives hidden from Him.
And He still chooses to stay close.
David sees this not as a burden but as a blessing. The God who sees everything is also the God who stays. He bends near not to punish us but to guide us. To keep us from the path of destruction and lead us toward life.
Personal Takeaway
If you’ve ever found yourself thinking, “I wish He’d leave me alone,” pause for a moment. Ask yourself why. Is it because you feel shame? Because you want independence? Because you misunderstand His intent?
Whatever your reason, know this: God stays because He loves. And His presence isn’t a barrier to your freedom—it’s the only true path to it.
A Related Read
If you’d like to read more about the omnipresence of God and how it impacts your daily life, I highly recommend this thoughtful article from The Gospel Coalition:
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/why-gods-omniscience-should-comfort-you/
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