“The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”
Psalms 145:18 ESV
“A God of truth cannot be near to the spirit of hypocrisy; this he knows and hates; neither can he be far removed from a sincere spirit, since it is his work, and he forsakes not the work of his own hands.” -Bible study guide
I’m back in it again and I already feel what I’ve been missing. I feel God’s presence, His Spirit speaking to me and answering my questions. I feel guidance and direction. I hear what He is saying to me as I read with the desire to learn and grow closer to Him. He is near to me when I am humble and earnest, but never gone from me. That’s the key I forget. I feel distant sometimes and I feel as if God is being distant. If this explanation of Psalm 145:18 is accurate then it is clear that the “distance” I feel is me harboring tendencies that He cannot be near. If that’s the case, then it makes sense that I don’t “feel” His presence sometimes. A pastor friend of mine told me once that any distance you feel from God is you feeling that and not actually Him being distant. Maybe he’s right in that it is me causing the distance I “feel” and not God as His desire is to be near me. What I’ve experienced is that as soon as I humble myself and pray to Him in an earnest desire to feel Him near, when I admit my inability to navigate life without Him, when I cry out in total desperation and proclaim that I NEED Him and I am lost without Him, I begin to experience Him and feel Him working on me and in me. This day and the several before it are proof of that for me. He loves me. I know this. He is working out something amazing thru us and for us. I am so grateful for the discovery of who He is and how life works as it should with Him as my guide and my aim. Praise be to God and I pray you know the love I’m feeling right now. Godspeed!