The God Who Is Near

One of the cool things about the Bible is that you can read it over and over again for a lifetime and keep discovering new things.

This morning, I read Psalm 46, and in the very first verse, I noticed something I'm not sure I had before:

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." - Psalm 46:1 (emphasis mine)

It's clear through the Bible that God is a help to His people. But this reminder that He is very present, that He is abundantly available, is so important for us, and for me.

Sometimes it can feel like God is far off; Sometimes, it feels as though He is distant, uninvolved.

But here and in other places in the Bible, we learn that God is never far.

He is a refuge, a place we can run to for safety. He is our strength (Philippians 4:13). And He is our help, but not a help far away, no, one that is near.

I'll close with these two verses, also from Psalms:

"Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?" - Psalm 139:7, a comfort, but also a warning of sorts.

"The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." - Psalm 34:18

So, know this, that even though it may feel like He is far from us sometimes, even then we know, as the Psalmist, that God is near. May we draw near to Him (James 4:8).