May 2 – Near and Far

 Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away?  Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord.”  Jeremiah 23: 23-24 (ESV)

We all are likely to have times in our life of faith that God seems distant when He is always right beside us. God is always in the process of revealing to us what He is like. In today’s verses there are three questions that we believe are intended to help us know better how God is involved in our lives.  As we read the verses we can see that the last question actually contains the answer to the first two. God asks, “Am I only a God that is nearby and not a God that is far away?” Well He is both and all thing time for God is everywhere. He fills heaven and earth. He fills all of His creation. He wants us all to know this because it reveals what a wonderful and caring God He is. There is nowhere that God is not and so no matter where we are, near or far, he is there with us. He is drawing us near to Him and as He is with us today, He is and will be with us tomorrow and forever – He fills our world and beyond.

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November 29 – Being Satisfied

“Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple!” Psalm 65:4b (ESV) 

When David the psalmist wrote these words of praise to God, he was thinking of the blessings which comes to God's people as they worshiped in the Tabernacle and later the Temple. The psalmist references these places as God’s courts. In the time these places of worship existed, it was the place where God would dwell among His people. It is the Lord God who chose Israel and who choses us and brings us near to him. We can apply these words to our experience of belonging to God's family today. We are members of God's household and we experience many good things because of it. As our verse says we are satisfied with the goodness God provides. We need to remember each day and be thankful that we are blessed because we belong to God's family. He is our heavenly Father and He takes care of us as we live here on earth. If we open our hearts to Him to fill us, he will fill our lives each day with His blessings. Then we can say as the psalmist said, we shall be satisfied and give God the glory for all He has done. 

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October 7 – Rejoice and Don’t Stop

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.” -  Philippians 4:4-5 (NASB)

On the matter of rejoicing, Paul the Apostle was unable to say it just once – or even twice. Four times his use of ‘rejoice’ comes in imperative statements – even twice in one which is part of our verse today. Four other times in declarative clauses, Paul testifies to his own rejoicing. But in verse 4 of the 4 chapter in Philippians, Paul is driving home the importance of expressing our joy. But Paul didn’t tell his readers to be happy. He encouraged them to rejoice in the Lord. There are circumstances in which we Christians are not happy. But we can always rejoice in the Lord and delight in Him. Such action is not an emotion but more a state of mind created by our will when we choose to rejoice. Perhaps some will disagree yet it is Paul himself who exemplified inner joy when external circumstances—such as persecution, imprisonment, the threat of death—were against him. Nurturing gentleness means contentment and generosity toward others. It is having mercy or clemency toward the faults and failures of others. Being patient with someone, even submitting to injustice or mistreatment without retaliating. As always, The Lord is near – it’s a promise.

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September 19 –Not Far Away But Near

“The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” - Psalm 145:18 (ESV)

Perhaps there are times when you feel distant from your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is not uncommon for those who believe to go through trials and testing of their faith. Sometimes it seems that what is before us is insurmountable and like a huge tidal wave it is about to wash over us and take us under. That is the time to remember this promise and call on God. If you have repented and believed on Jesus Christ, you have been saved from the wages of sin and are safe in Christ. Being in Christ is why we can believe that the LORD is near when we call on Him. He is not distant and He is not out of reach of our voice. In fact if we are truly in Christ, then He is in us with His Holy Spirit. This is not hocus-pocus as many who reject Jesus would claim. Our Almighty God is a spirit yet a true person who loves and cares for us enough to offer His only begotten Son, Jesus, as a sacrifice for our sin. He promised this long ago and what God promises, He fulfills. 

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August 03 – Seek Now

“Seek the Lord while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near.” – Isaiah 55:6 (NASB)

Our promise today is one that brings thankfulness to our hearts and without fail, we can trust the promise. But, more than a promise, it is an invitation from our Lord God. God is near and being near means he is ‘findable.’ This appeal is for all people, believers, but especially those who have not yet chosen to believe in the only God, our Savior Jesus Christ. What can we believe when we seek the Lord? We can believe that we will receive mercy and pardon. From the beginning of time the Lord has required the same thing for salvation and that is that we trust in Him. Salvation by grace and mercy has always been available to the all who are willing to seek the Lord and call on Him. There is a warning, God can be found only while He is near, which means while His offer is still available. There are also promises of a time of His judgment when it will be too late to receive the mercy and pardon God offers it to us now. Be thankful today if you in faith have believed in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

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October 28 – Promises Understood

“Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help.”  Psalm 22:11 (NIV)

Although we may not know the details of how exactly God answered this prayer, we can still read it to encourage us. We can trust in promises we have learned that God is nearby us all the time, even when we do not feel it.  He promises to not desert us or to forsake us.  We believe that God has preserved His Word in our Bible to do just that. We believe that God did answer David's prayer in this Psalm and He will answer our prayers when we ask Him. He knows when trouble is near to His own and He will be near, very near at all times like that. So this is a prayer that we can pray in perfect confidence. Although these words are not in a form of a promise, yet God has allowed the prayer to be included because He has already promised to be always with His own. So be encouraged to pray as David did whenever you need it.

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August 30 – Access Is For All

“And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.  For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.”  Ephesians 2:17-18 – (ESV)

This verse reminds us that Jesus has made a way for all people to be brought together.  At the time He lived on Earth, the significant division for Jews were the non-Jews or Gentiles.  We confidently say today that people of all kind have been brought together into the family of God.  Our promise today that we focus on is what the verse says about our access to God the Father. This is through Jesus Christ the Son and in the Holy Spirit.  When we go to God in prayer we are aware that we do so in the name of Jesus.  The Bible promises us that God will hear us and our promise today says specifically that we have access to the Father by the Son who has brought all people together. Again we emphasis this is without respect to ethnicity, race, sex, age or any other distinction that humans make.  Racism and supremacy have no place in God's plan.  Access is offered to all in one Spirit to the Father through the Son.

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June 12 – Call, He Is Near

“The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them.”  Psalm 145:18-19 (NASB)

The great Lord whom we serve is the great God of the universe.  We can say He is everywhere but now our promise in today's verse assures us that He is near to those who follow Him and who call upon Him.  We can take this as a promise that God does come close to us when we call to Him especially if we are truly praying to Him.  We have to be calling on God in truth and faith believing.  Our verse also assures us that God hears when we ask Him for His help in our lives and He fulfills our desires.  If what we want God to do for us is according to His will He will be sure to answer our prayers.  Even in time when we are in desperate circumstances He hears our cry for help and He will save us from evil.  Let's be sure that we expect this and that we thank our heavenly Father for His help each time.  

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April 12 – Essential Faith and Belief

“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”  Hebrews 11:6  (ESV)

During this time approaching Resurrection Sunday (Easter)  when we are thinking so much about Jesus dying on the cross and then rising from the dead it is good to think about how because of that, we are able to approach God through faith.  The promise we focus on today is the promise that God rewards those who seek Him.  So how are we to seek God?  Just as our verse says, with faith and believing.  We must believe in God.  We must believe that He exists, that He is real, and He is there when we need him.  If we do not believe that God is real and that He exists, it is impossible to approach Him. He exists as something more “than the man upstairs” and He will respond to our belief when we call on him.  We trust that many of the followers of this blog do believe in God and through faith, have learned how to draw near to Him. For those who have not yet believed, now is the time, God is willing to receive all who believe and seek to draw near to him.   

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January 18 – Be True

“The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”   Psalm 145:18  (ESV)

Our promise today is assurance that God is aware of us when we call on Him in prayer.  He listens and draws near to us.  We do have a wonderful God in heaven.  He knows each person and He knows those who truly believe in Him.  He is aware when any one of us wants to express our feelings to Him.  Often we may say, or hear someone say that they will pray for another who is facing a trial.  We don't know exactly if they are sincere or just trying to be sympathetic – but we know if we are being truthful.   God knows who is calling on Him in truth for themselves or for others.  He knows the heart and mind of each of us and because He promises to be near to all who call on Him in truth, we can have confidence that He will be near when we call on Him with a truthful heart.  Let's be true when we say we will pray for a needs of another or of our own need.  God is standing near listening.  He knows. 

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October 26 – Close To Us

“We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks, For Your name is near; Men declare Your wondrous works.”  Psalm 75:1 (NASB)

What is it that we give thanks to God for in our day to day life?  The psalmist, in this verse gives thanks to God because His name is near.  That seems a bit unusual, doesn't it?  We believe and know that God is near to each of us but what does it mean that His name is near?  It is a promise that we can trust in as we read the next expression in the verse which refers to God's works.  His deeds which are wonderful,  are all done in His name.  As we learn and hear about them, we share the things God is doing, and we realize that His name is truly close to us.  We respond with thanksgiving to God.  How wonderful to know and trust that God's name is near and if His name is near, we know that He is near.  We are encouraged to speak out, to declare what we know.  “Thank you Lord for all the wonderful deeds You are doing,” becomes our response to this promise.

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October 22 – Calling Sincerely

“The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.” Psalm 145:18 (NASB)

This verse does not say anything directly about God answering prayer but we believe this is the promise we find here.  We believe that this verse is all about God promising to respond when we pray.  God knows everything – our past, present, and future – and He knows when anyone calls on Him in prayers.  When we call on God in prayer, He knows what we are thinking.  Yes, God knows exactly what we are thinking and what we are feeling when we pray.  He knows before we know ourselves.  God knows if we are sincere and if we truly believe that He can and will answer us.  Our verse tells us that when we pray sincerely (in truth) and with faith, God pays attention.  God is near to us when we call and and he comes nearer when we pray sincerely.  And, He lets us sense His nearness and this strengthens our faith and our trust in Him.  

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April 6 – Brought Near

“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” Ephesians 2:13 (ESV)

Just a week has passed since we were thinking especially of the death of Jesus on the cross. It is a theme that carries throughout the New Testament and we are reminded often of the importance of that event and sacrificial act by Jesus. We know that Jesus came and He died because God loved us and because He wanted us to be drawn close to Him. When we accept what Jesus did for us on the cross we are brought into the family of God.  The experience of being brought near to God begins when we believe in Jesus but it continues on through our lives.  We can experience the blessing of nearness to God every day. When we sense that nearness today lets thank God again for what Jesus had done and is doing and let us thank Him for making the way possible for us to become members of God's eternal family. 

October 8 – Near, Not Far

“The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” Psalm 145:18 (NIV)

The promise for us to carry with us today is much like the one yesterday. We speak of our Lord as being in heaven but when we pray to Him we realize that He is not far away from us. When we need God's help it is not as if we are making a long-distance call. He is aware when we sense the need for His help and He is listening for our call and He responds. Our verse today reminds us that the Lord has a way to make us realize that as we are talking to Him He is right here with us. When we turn to Him and begin expressing our thanksgiving and prayers and petitions He has a way of helping us be aware of his presence, His near presence. As you call on Him today, notice his nearness and rejoice.

May 2 – Near and Far

“Am I only a God nearby,” declares the Lord, “and not a God far away? Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?” declares the Lord. “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the Lord.”  Jeremiah 23: 23-24 (NIV)

God is always in the process of revealing to us what He is like. There are three questions in today's verses that we believe are intended to help us know God better.  As we read the verses we can see that the last question actually contains the answer to the first two. “Am I only a God that is nearby and not a God that is far away?” No, God is everywhere. He fills heaven and earth. He fills all of His creation. He wants us all to know this because it reveals what a wonderful God He is. There is nowhere that God is not and so no matter where we are, near or far, he is there with us. He is drawing us near to Him and as He is with us today, He is and will be with us tomorrow and forever – He fills our world and beyond.

March 13 - Drawn Us Near

“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” Ephesians 2:13 (NIV)

We have in our verse today words which remind us of the great desire of God for His creatures to be near to him. God has made us because he wants us to have a close relationship with Him. Sin separated us and drove us far away from God. He sent His Son to this world because He loved the human race – His creation and wanted to bring them to Himself. Our verse reminds us that in Christ we have been brought near to our loving creator because Christ shed His blood for us. We need to remember that we are not living by ourselves apart from God. He has drawn us close to Himself. Just as the Ephesians who first received these words, we were once far away but God drew them to Himself, He has drawn us near to Him through the work of Christ on the Cross and His resurrection.