The Lord is NEAR...
If you are going through a difficult time, I want to remind you of a characteristic of God that the Holy Spirit brought to my memory again this morning as I was looking over a list of prayer requests from Church this past weekend. This character trait is this: The Lord is Near
An unchangeable character trait of God: The Lord is Near
The Bible is pretty clear that our God is not distant and unconcerned with our lives. It's clear that He's not just interested in us when things are good, but in every situation. As I was reading over the prayer request going out to heaven, I was reminded of this verse in Psalms.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. - Psalm 34:18 (NIV)
Let that verse and let that reality ring over and over in your mind and heart; THE LORD IS NEAR, THE LORD IS NEAR! But this is not an isolated verse. We see all throughout the Bible that it is God's desire to be with or near us. From the creation of humanity in the Garden, to the exodus from Egypt, right down to a baby born in a manger. Actually the very name that was given to this baby, this savior was the name, Emmanuel, which means "God with us". Jesus was the very embodiment of the desire for an all-powerful God to be near and in relationship with an infinitely fallible human race.
His desire to be NEAR us is the out working of His passionate LOVE for us.
Final note on this verse in Psalm 34. That word "Close", isn't just a general closeness. But it paints a picture of an ally that is near and ready to help. God is not just aware of your struggle, but He is near and ready to help. Whatever you are going through, reach out to God in full confidence that He loves you and is ready to respond!
Come near to God and he will come near to you. - James 4:8 (NIV)
