God is Near

I love the LORD because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!”  (Psalm 116:1-2 NLT)

This Scripture beautifully reminds me of one simple, but absolute, TRUTH: that when I pray, God is near.

I may not FEEL Him near.

I may not SENSE His presence.

I may not HEAR His voice.

I may not SEE an answer to my prayer.

I may not KNOW His purpose for my pain.

But THIS I KNOW … that WHEN I pray, GOD IS NEAR.

How can I KNOW this? Because God’s Word tells us TWO indisputable facts:

• 1. GOD IS ALWAYS WITH US. Every moment.

“It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” (Deuteronomy 31:8 BSB)

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”  (Isaiah 41:10 NKJV)

 “For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear.”  (Hebrews 13:5-6 NKJV)

• 2. GOD HEARS PRAYER. Every prayer.

Each and every petition that is directed to God—any prayer that invokes His Name, no matter how long or how short or how loud or how soft or how silent—every prayer WILL draw His holy attention, in an instant, NEAR … enough for His ear to HEAR.

So, we KNOW that GOD is always present. That’s Who He IS. But here’s the WONDER of it: GOD hears PRAYER. He listens—and that draws Him NEAR. In other words, MY prayer draws Him near … to ME. How wonderful it is to think that the GOD of All Creation, the Master of the Universe, literally leans in and bends His ear close TO ME as I speak to Him in prayer.

But for that wonder to occur, I MUST PRAY. If I pray, He will HEAR, and IF He HEARS, then He IS NEAR.  And if He is NEAR, anything can happen.

To me, if God is THAT NEAR, that is ENOUGH.

“The LORD is close to all who call on him …” (Psalm 145:18 NLT)

 Prayer: Dear Jesus, I love YOU, LORD, because You hear my voice and my prayer for mercy. I am praying NOW.  Because I know that You bend down to listen, I know that YOU ARE NEAR. To keep You near, I will pray as long as I have breath. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.