Begin with two minutes of silence and stillness before God.

Do you remember being a kid and doing something wrong, and your first instinct was to run and hide? Not very effectively, of course. You’d crawl under the blanket, hide behind a curtain with your feet still sticking out, or squeeze into a closet as though no one could hear the door slam. None of these hiding places was good, and yet somehow, our parents always knew where we were.

Why did we hide?
Was it the fear of punishment?
Avoiding consequences?
Or just plain shame?

As adults, we still hide, but we just change the hiding places.
We hide by closing ourselves inside our homes.
We cancel long-standing plans.
We choose watching church online over being present in person.
We disappear behind Netflix, behind busyness, behind doom-scrolling until our phones die.

Sometimes the comfort of hiding feels easier than facing the truth.

Psalm 139 reveals a Father who:

• knows every thought before it forms,
• knows every word before we speak it,
• knows every decision we will ever make,
• knows every cell that makes up our bodies.

And yet, despite knowing us this fully, we still think we can hide from Him.

We still think, in our moments of hurt, shame, or confusion, that we can outrun Him. Psalm 139 gently dismantles that illusion.

Verses 11–12 say: “If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will hide me, and the light around me will be night,’ even the darkness is not dark to You. The night shines like the day; darkness and light are alike to You.”

What a powerful truth. Darkness and light feel like complete opposites to us, one comforting, one frightening; one clear, one confusing; one full of hope, one full of fear. But to Christ, they are the same. He sees through all of it. There is no place too dark, no circumstance too heavy, no emotion too overwhelming, no shame too deep, where God cannot see us, reach us, or hold us.

It’s like God’s spotlight is always on us, but not to expose us in shame, but to assure us: "I see you. I know you. I love you. You are not alone."

He sees us in our brightest moments and in our darkest ones, all the same.

He is present in both Psalms 139’s wonder and Psalm 140’s cry for protection.

There is nowhere you can go, physically, emotionally, or spiritually, where He won’t meet you.
No hiding place is hidden from Him.
No darkness is too dark for Him.
No fear is too great for Him.

He knows you better than anyone, and He loves you more deeply than you can imagine.

Take two minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

Use the S.O.A.P. Method to study God's Word.

• SCRIPTURE: What stands out to you in today's passage?
• OBSERVATION: What is this text saying? What is the context? How does it fit with the verses before and after it? Are there any commands, instructions, or promises?
• APPLICATION: How can you apply this verse to your life? What does this mean today? What is God saying to you?
• PRAYER: Respond to the passage in prayer. Ask God to help you apply this truth to your life and spend some time listening to what He may be telling you.

New Year, New Bible Reading Plan

At Venture Church, providing quality Daily Essential tools for spiritual development is a priority we are passionate about. As a result, we provided a Bible Reading Plan in 2020, Daily Devos in 2021, and Family Devos in 2023. We are always looking for ways to better serve the church through resources that assist in the growth of your faith. Thank you for supporting us and joining us on this journey!

This year, we have some exciting additions to our Daily Essential tools. In 2026, Venture Church will begin offering two Bible Reading Plans. Both of these plans will be delivered to your inbox in a weekly summary, replacing daily emails. Scripture, Daily Devos, Family Devos, videos, and relevant links for the week will be delivered in a single, easy-to-access email each Monday morning.

The first plan will be the New Testament Bible Reading Plan, a 5-day-a-week plan that leads readers from Matthew to Revelation in a year. Daily Devos and Family Devos will continue to help readers dig deeper into God’s Word. And this year, we are adding audio recordings of the Daily Devos for on-the-go listening!

The second Bible Reading Plan option will be the One-Year Bible Reading Plan. This 7-day-a-week plan will guide readers through the entire Bible in 365 days. If you’re looking to read all of the Word this year, this plan is for you! Though Daily Devos will not be connected to this plan, we are excited to provide introduction videos for each Book of the Bible as an additional resource.

Join us January 1st to start a new Bible Reading Plan in the New Year!