October 11 – Being Truthfully Sincere

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

We who truly believe in God know that He does not keep office hours.  We know that God is everywhere, and we can call on Him at any time from any place or situation.  We will never find a “Be back at...” sign on his door.  We need to remember though, that we must have the proper attitude when we call on God.  David, the psalmist reminds us of this in today verse.  Our God is everywhere and our God knows everything and He has wonderful ways of making His presence real to those who sincerely want to experience His nearness.  Yes, it is possible to call on the Lord without sincerity.  It is possible to say we will pray without actually ever saying a sincere prayer to God.  It is possible to do it as a matter of practiced form, or for the wrong motive.  We can pray to impress others with a facade of piety.  But God knows our hearts, and our thoughts, and the motives we have. This promise calls for us to be truthful and sincere when we seek and call out to God who is always near, and always knows, and always ready to help. 

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September 24 – Experience Nearness

“But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.” Psalm 73:28 (ESV)

The people of Israel who lived during the days of the Old Testament record knew that in the tabernacle and then later in the temple in Jerusalem there was an inner room called the Holy of Hollies.  It was in this room where the presence of God was manifested.  Sometimes people would go to the temple thinking that this brought them close to God.  We see this thought in some of the Psalms.  We believe, though, that our verse today is about a spiritual closeness to God.  The psalmist had experienced the joy of knowing that God was near him even without his going to the temple.  This is true for each of us too.  Although it is possible for us to receive a blessing from attending church, we know that we can experience the nearness of God no matter where we are.  Everyday of the week and anytime of the day we can sense the closeness of His presence.  And, we can share that with others.   

What was the Holy of Hollies?

Significance of the Holy of Hollies for Christians.

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January 19 – Nearness Through Faith

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” James 4:8a (NASB)

Now we know that this verse doesn't say anything about where God is located. We know that He is everywhere – or as some say, omnipresent. He is in heaven but He is also here where we are. So when we read this invitation for us to come near to God we know that it speaks about our attitude toward God and about a consciousness of our need of His involvement in our lives. So we need to accept what the Bible tells us about God's presence with us. Then, His presence will be real to us. Drawing near to God is a matter of faith and so is our experience of His nearness. The promise this verse gives to us and the promise we can know and experience is that as we draw near through believing God, we will discover that believing provides an experience of closeness with God. 

December 29 – Coming Close, Being Near.

“Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” James 4:8 (NIV)

From the letter written by James we have a verse to read today. It is a very direct but also a very special verse and gives a promise for us when we wish to be closer to God. We know that God is everywhere present.  So when the Bible speaks of God coming close to one of His children it really means that He has ways of making His presence felt.  God wants His children to always feel His presence. He wants us to realize that He is right with us. So how does this come about? It is when we remember that we have a God who loves us and we stop thinking about other things around us. When we open our hearts to Him. Then we begin sensing that He is actually near us and is a part of our lives. That's what God is waiting for and He will impress us then with His nearness.

June 2 – Nearness to God

“But as for me, it is good to be near God.  I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.”  Psalm 73:28 (NIV)

The psalmist who wrote these words, although living on earth, knew how good it was to be close to God – he had experienced nearness with Him. This is not about the hope we have for closeness with God in heaven but for what we can experience right here on earth. Each of us can live in the awareness of being near to God – we can have the same experience described here.  And it is not a question of where God is because he is everywhere present. It is a question of our attitude toward him, and our faith in His presence. At any time of day or night, any day of the week in any month we can experience how good it is to be near Him. So my friend, let's each of us remember the Lord today and enjoy his closeness and tell others too.

August 26

“I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” Psalm 16:8

We have many promises about the nearness of God to those who believe in His word. Just as David could say that the Lord was near to him – at his right hand, so we can have the same assurance. The Lord is everywhere so He is always near to us. But this is especially meaningful when we become aware of His nearness and live in the consciousness of that.  That is what David had done. He said he had kept his eyes always on the Lord. That didn’t change where God was. It changed David’s experience of His presence. Therefore his faith became unshakeable. We can experience that.