In this psalm David is reflecting upon his life. Life had not been easy for him. He had suffered many afflictions, endured many trials. There had been times when his way was dark and difficult. But he sees himself encompassed by the Divine Presence. God knows all about him, and is acquainted with all his ways.

In the midst of his reflections, he asks, “Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from Thy presence?” Answering his own question, he goes on to express the great confidence of his life:

If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there:
If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, Thou art there.
If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
Even there shall Thy hand lead me.
And Thy right hand shall hold me.
If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me,
And the light about me shall be night;
Even the darkness hideth not from Thee,
But the night shineth as the day;

Nowhere in the Psalms does David reach a greater height of confidence than here in this sublime utterance. In a simpler way the same confidence was expressed by a little boy in trying to comfort his mother who had been bereft of her husband, which made it necessary to give up the old home and go elsewhere to live. It was a sad leave-taking, for everything about the old place was sacred to her. On the train her little boy sat beside her, and kept trying to cheer her up. Presently, as the train sped onward, he looked out the window and said, “See, mother, God’s sky is over us yet; it’s going right along with us.”

Let us take with us in all our daily rounds the truth of this psalm—A Psalm of God’s Presence.

The darkness and the light are both alike to Thee.