God Who is Near

As human beings, we live with limitation. We may expand our reach, but there are boundaries we simply cannot cross. We cannot be in two places at once. But God is not limited by space or time. Space and time as we experience it are a part of God’s Creation. As Creator of the heavens and earth, God transcends His Creation.

God Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, is right here with us in the midst of His Creation.

His Spirit does not dwell in the rocks and the trees. He does not inhabit the animals or the birds. But, we see Him there.  We recognize God in His Creation in the same way we recognize an artist in his art. see Him there – we recognize God in His Creation in the same way we recognize an artist in his art. Few who are even slightly familiar with Rembrandt would mistake a Picasso or a Van Gogh or a Matisse for a Rembrandt. Art reflects the artist as Creation reflects the Creator. We would not confuse Michelangelo’s David for the person of Michelangelo himself and we ought not confuse God’s Creation for the person of God Himself. Yet God Himself is here with us in His Creation.

The Psalmist writes,

Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in Sheol (ie. with the dead), behold, You are there.
If I take the wings of the dawn,
If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
Even there Your hand will lead me,
And Your right hand will lay hold of me. (Psalm 139:7-10)

If you could ask the prophet Jonah, he would tell you: “You can’t run away from God. Wherever you may go, He is already there.”

Wherever you may go, wherever you may be, God is there.

You may be thinking, “I don’t see Him with my eyes. I can’t hear Him with my ears. I can’t touch Him with my hands. How can He be here?” God is not constrained as we are by the physical limits of His Creation. At all times and in all places, His Spirit, His presence, is here.

For some, the reality of an ever-present God may be startling, even frightening. To be honest, there have been times in my past when the realization that God was witness to my every action was an unwelcome and uncomfortable thought.

But as I have come to know Him, the knowledge of His presence has become a comfort.

My God is a God who is near.

He hears me. He sees me. He protects me in ways I do not know from dangers I may never know existed.

I can never be out of His reach.

Pastor Cindy

From the series: Nature of God