Up High, Down Low, and On the Side

               My high five companions!! 

(Psalm 139)

10/12/25 – Stetson Memorial UMC

High Five game

Dear Stetson Memorial UMC family, right after last Sunday’s worship, one of our church members came to me and said, “Joyce, I’m getting closer to Jesus more and more.” She made my day! A few minutes later, a teenage girl came and said, “I want to get baptized!” She made my day, too! God has been pouring His Spirit upon us every day and every Sunday.

During last week’s Bible study and Ad Council meeting, many people shared about the most memorable worship service in their lives. They spoke as if they were still there, feeling that holy moment again.

Today, we will hear 11-year-old Delila share her beautiful testimony through her song. Worship is not a one-time event. It’s not a routine or regulation. Worship is another chance to be restored — to become again the people God created us to be in the beginning.

Even though sin distorted the beauty of creation, God invites us today to join His work of re-creation. This is a special Sunday. We have been praying and waiting for this day for several weeks. All ages are gathered here for family worship. May God make our worship wonderful — like Israel celebrating after crossing the Red Sea, like the people gathered at Mizpah with Samuel, like David and the people rejoicing as the ark entered Jerusalem, and like Nehemiah and the people rejoicing at the rebuilding of the wall.

Have you ever played this game? “Up high, down low, and on the side… too slow!”

Whenever I meet young children, I like to play this high-five game. Even when they’re shy or feel awkward around me, after this little game, we laugh and grow closer. It’s one of my favorite ways to connect with children.

Today, I invite us to play this game with God. God is calling us to play — not to test how fast we are, but to remind us that He is near us: up high, down low, and on the side. May God help us feel His presence covering us and surrounding us today.

 

Living in God’s Picture

Last week, I shared a conversation with Hannah about God’s painting. When I was amazed by the beauty of nature, I said, “Hannah, look at the colorful leaves and the blue sky. God is the best painter, isn’t He?” Hannah looked up wide-eyed and said, “Wow, Mom, are we in His picture?” That moment opened my own spiritual eyes. All week, I felt like I was living inside God’s living painting. I couldn’t stop thanking God, just like the psalmist in Psalm 104, as I saw the beauty of Maine’s autumn:

“Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, You are very great.

You are clothed with honor and majesty, wrapped in light as with a garment.

You stretch out the heavens like a tent…You make the clouds Your chariot,

You ride on the wings of the wind.” (Psalm 104:1–4)

“The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims His handiwork.

Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge.” (Psalm 19:1–2)

The psalmists praise the Creator who uses nature as His clothing, chariot, and messenger. So I prayed:

Prayer

Creator God, Lord of all things, how beautiful is all You have made!

You spread a red carpet of maple leaves, dress the earth in countless colors,

And scatter beauty wherever You pass.

With warm sunlight as Your light, You ride the shining white clouds

Across the blue autumn sky—And You come near to me. (Psalm 104)

O God, the greatest Poet and Painter, I have become a living part of Your artwork—

Walking through the scent of autumn, rustling through fallen leaves,

Riding my bicycle to the bubbling sound of stew cooking,

My body, mind, and soul soar together with You, Lord. (Psalm 19)

 

As I prayed, I realized that I am one of the main characters in God’s living picture. We all are. We are His masterpieces. Psalm 139:13–16 says God planned us before we were formed in the womb. He created us fearfully and wonderfully. His eyes are always on us. He has written all the days of our lives before one of them came to be.

 

Prayer

Creator of all life, how marvelous are Your works!

No two people are the same—no identical fingerprints, hearts, or stories.

Before the world began, You thought of us.

Before we were formed in the womb, You planned us.

With Your hands in the dust, You shaped us, Stamped us with Your image, And breathed life into us— That our spirit might live, and our body follow. (Psalm 139:13–16)

We are created by God’s hands, in His image, and by His living breath! Look around — how beautiful we are! How fearfully and wonderfully made! And after creating us, He never abandoned us. We are always in His eyes, His hands, and His heart.

Psalm 139:1–12 shows how fully God’s presence fills our lives. David sings that God knows when we sit and when we rise. God discerns our thoughts from far away and knows our paths. David asks, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence?”

And here’s the high-five moment:

When we are joyful and feel like we’re flying — Up high, God is there.

When we’re at the bottom, in sorrow or despair — Down low, God is there.

When we’re walking through ordinary days — On the side, God is there.

Verse 5 says, “You hem me in, behind and before, and lay Your hand upon me.”

The Message version says, “I look behind me and You’re there, then up ahead and You’re there too—Your reassuring presence, coming and going.”

There is no place where God is not present. His presence surrounds us completely.

Children, youth, and all of us — sometimes we feel that God is silent, or far away. Sometimes we even wonder if He’s real. But even in those moments, God is still there up high, down low, and on the side. When you feel His absence, remember His promise and pray that your spiritual eyes may open to see Him again. Then we can sing with the psalmist of Psalm 136, “For His steadfast love endures forever.”            

Prayer

Immanuel, God with me, Always, everywhere, in all things—

You fill every moment of my life like air itself.

Because of You, I breathe. Because of You, I live.

You go before me and guide, Behind me and push forward,

Beside me and walk with me, Beneath me and protect,

Above me and bless with Your hand. Like a parent with open arms,

Ready to catch a child’s first steps, You surround me with love and care. (Psalm 139:5)

God of Love, You created heaven and earth for one as small as I—

A speck of dust on this tiny planet.

You sent Your only Son, Jesus, To bear my sins, rise again,

And wait for me until we meet in heaven. Your love is more beautiful than autumn,

Deeper than any human heart, And greater than my arms can hold. (Psalm 136)

God has placed us first in His heart. He loves us so much that He gave His Son for us. Now it’s our turn to respond to His love. As we learned in our children’s message, true JOY means Jesus first, Others second, and You third. May we confess with David in Psalm 18, “The Lord is my love and my strength.” May we keep playing this high-five game with God — up high, down low, and on the side — whenever He calls us.

When He calls us in joy, we say, “Yes, Lord.” When He calls us in sorrow, we say, “Yes, Lord.”

And when He calls us in the ordinary rhythm of daily life, we say, “Yes, Lord.”

Prayer

My Lord, my Love, and my Strength, I can never repay such love,

But I long to love You as You have loved me.

With all my heart, soul, and strength, I invite You to be the main character

In the painting of my life.

Teach me to love those You love— To put Jesus first, others second, and myself third—

And to live each day in true JOY. (Psalm 18:1–3)

May our lives always respond to You, O God — Up high, down low, and on the side — wherever You call us. Amen.