The Nearness of God

OT: Psalms 73-89 (Book 3)
NT: Acts 17:22-28

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Psalm 73:21-28 — When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, / I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you. / Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. / You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. / Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. / My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. / Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you. / But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works.


What is your perception of the nearness of God? Do you believe He is near to you -- right by your very side -- or do you think He is in heaven somewhere, sitting high and above everyone and everything? Does He really care about the mundane things in your life? Or does He only "sweat the big stuff?" How we perceive the nearness of God determines how we act when the trials of life draw near to us. Our concept of God's concern dictates whether or not we turn to Him in prayer and supplication. After all, why would I want to pray to a God I don't believe hears me or cares about me? But if I truly believe He is a God who is near to me and wants to hear me when I'm hurting, distressed, or just plain distraught, then I find it easier to pray.

Truly the nearness of God is our good, as Asaph says in Psalm 73. Paul told the Athenian philosophers on Mars Hill that God is right next to each one of us -- waiting for us to reach out to Him. We don't need some special piety or some secret ceremony to contact God. We just need to speak. And He will hear us.

Be God's.