God is Here
By Alexis A. Goring
Bible Reading:
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”— Psalm 34:18 NIV.
A famous song, “From a Distance,” performed by Bette Midler, is the focal point for this devotional message today.
The song romanticizes life on Earth in poetic words, saying how beautiful our experiences here on this planet are from a distance. The lyrics paint a hopeful view of the good in our world and inspire the listener to dream of a better state of affairs and harmonious human relations. No war, sickness, disease, and people starving to eat food. Just beautiful views of nature from the oceans to the mountains and the trees. It is the kind of harmony that most humans desire. Then the lyrics say that from a distance, God is watching us. And that is the concept I want to address in this devotional today.
The song has a beautiful melody, but the lyrics are not theologically true because the Bible says God is with us even until the end of the world (Matthew 28:20). God didn’t create our world and then return to Heaven to safely watch us wreck it. No! He is very involved in human affairs and pays attention to every detail of our lives. This school of thought has a name: Deism.
According to Alyssa Roat in an article titled, “What is Deism and Is It Influencing Your Faith?” published on the website for Bible Study Tools, “Deism teaches that there is a God and that He created the world, but created things do not need His presence and the exercise of His power in order to continue in existence and fulfill their functions. The material world is placed under immutable law, while man, the rational and moral free agent, is left to do as he wills. According to deism, God sustains the same relation to the universe that the clock-maker does to his timepiece. Having made his clock and wound it up, he does not interfere with it, and the longer it can run without the maker's intervention, the greater the evidence of wisdom and skill on the maker's part. According to deism, God has never wrought a miracle nor made a supernatural revelation to man.”
I want to challenge that belief with a note of hope: God created this beautiful world, but He didn’t leave it to run by itself, nor has He left us without any help from Heaven. God is ever-present in our world today. Just because we cannot see Him or sometimes sense His Presence does not mean He’s not here. God loves us too much to leave us to face this life alone. He’s with us in the good times, celebrating with us, and He’s with us in the trials, seeing us through the bad times. Also, He is a God who forgives our flaws and sins. He knows we’ll never be completely perfect on this side of Heaven. God is patient with us. He gives us grace, and His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). God wants us to know we can always turn to Him and ask Him for help.
The song “So Close,” performed by Mary Mary, speaks about the heart of love God has for humankind and shows us how close He is to us every moment of our life. The song lyrics open by addressing how the pain of our past or secrets from our yesterday cause us to keep a distance from God because we don’t believe He will forgive what we did. It is in these moments when the devil convinces us that we’ve fallen too far beyond God’s reach so that He cannot help us now. But God wants us to know that we’re never too far gone to return to Him. God is closer to us than we think! He’s close enough to hear every breath you take and wipe the tears from your face. God wants you to let Him mend your broken heart. His arms are always wide open, willing and waiting to receive you when you turn to Him.
I hope this message has encouraged you to remember the God who loves you with all His Heart. May you always realize how close He is to you. Remember: God isn’t watching us from far away in Heaven; He’s actively involved in our life here on Earth. He’s always just a prayer away. May we always seek Him first and trust Him to draw near to us as we draw near to Him (James 4:8).
Intersecting Faith and Life:
How does it feel to know that the Creator of the Universe is close to you and is ready to help you through this life on Earth?
Further Reading:
Deuteronomy 31:6
1 Chronicles 16:11
Romans 8:38-39
Psalm 139:7-10
Psalm 23:4
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Boonyachoat
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