The Promise of Nearness

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Scripture

Psalm 145:18 The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.

Observation

The great and beautiful promise of the Lord is nearness. We are invited into a beautiful space of intimacy with our holy God. We are responsible to come to the Lord and call on him in truth. 

Application

Often we may feel alone, even when we are in the midst of many people. The noise, hustle and bustle of this world will not satisfy our deep longing for relationship. We are created for fellowship which is satisfied by drawing near to our Lord.

These days I have the joy of spending time with our two adorable granddaughters. However, I also have to spend quite a bit of my time in travel and away from home. On those days I will FaceTime with the girls. The little one, Alice, doesn’t really pay any attention but I like seeing her. Mackenzie, the two-year-old knows that it’s me and will smile and laugh and try and tell me things. It’s a joy to hear their voices and see what new things they have learned. 

While all of that is fun, it’s nothing like getting to be with these little girls in person. When I’m home Mackenzie runs up to me, throws her arms around my neck and holds onto me tight. In the mornings she comes down to Grandma and Grandpa’s house and climbs in the big chair next to me and just snuggles. It is wonderful to be right there next to these little ones, having one on your lap and the other one sliding up close. There is great joy and comfort being together in person. 



We are all invited into this kind of a personal relationship with God. Our Abba, Daddy, Father - invites us to snuggle in close and sit on his lap and talk about what’s going on in life. We can shed tears, share joys or simply quietly enjoy the calming presence of our Lord. 

We can only experience this intimacy when we come to the Lord in truth. As long as we try to fake our way through our relationship with God, or with the church we will feel lonely. The Lord will not be near because our own lies will become barriers to the love of God reaching out to us. God never gives up on us, but our lies are obstacles to love. We may have a virtual type of relationship but it will never sustain the way in which a real, face to face, nearness will. 

Grab onto the promise of nearness and call upon the Lord with a sincere heart. Then, rest in the protective arms of a loving Father. 

Prayer


Lord, please help me live in your promise. Amen. 

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