Closer Than You Think
This devotional was written by Leslie Snyder
Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. —Psalm 139: 8-10
Love. It transcends time and makes time standstill. It causes people to do funny things and can break the heart of ones close to us. It fights for freedom and dies for a cause. It gives life to the next generation and gives its life for a generation it will never see. Love is deep, secure, strong, loyal, honest, and true. It is displayed through a touch, a word, a look, or a smile. Love sustains, guides, protects and is closer than you think.
Children know this intuitively. That’s what makes the story The Runaway Bunny[1] so endearing. It follows the conversation of a Mother Bunny and her baby and what would happen if the baby bunny ran away. No matter how elaborate the baby bunny’s plan to run away, the Mother Bunny always comes up with a way to find and care for the baby bunny. Frustrated by his inability to get away from the love of his mother, the baby bunny finally gives up, settles in at home, and lets the Mother Bunny care for him.
The Psalmist also experienced this type of love. God and His love surrounded him at all times, in all places, and in all circumstances. Psalm 63:3 reads, “Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.” Today, take the time to notice that you are surrounded by the love of God. There is nowhere you can go that He will not be with you. There is nothing you can do that will keep His love from you. God is strangely and persistently accepting of us and readily waits for us with open arms.
GOING DEEPER:
1. Think of a time when you have sensed God’s love and presence in your life. How did you feel in those moments?
2. What keeps you from sensing God’s love more often? Why? What action step or step of faith might you take to experience God’s love more often?
FURTHER READING:
[1] The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown, Clement Hurd (Illustrator)
Harperfestival, February 1991
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