Today's Scripture: Psalm 145:17-21
"The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth."
How many times have you rounded a corner and bumped into someone, only to be startled half out of your wits because you weren't expecting anyone to be standing there so close? Or, you abruptly turn around and nearly trip over someone who is following close on your heels and you weren't aware of it?
Yeah, it happens, and once we get over the immediate fright we can have a good laugh over it.
The psalmist tells us that God is like that person we trip over, or the one who gives us a fright. Only, we shouldn't be caught off guard by his immediate presence. Simply call out to God, and he is right there.
Except for one thing. He is near to all who call upon him in truth.
So, how do we call upon him in truth? Prayer is the most direct path, but not all prayer is "in truth."
When we speak, or pray, with God in truth, we speak with him in the truth of who he is and of his word. We have come to him in a heart relationship of faith based on the truth of his word. In that relationship, we learn of him and begin to know him more and more. We walk in new life in Jesus. We navigate life by the Lord's will and his word.
That doesn't mean, though, that if we are outside his will that all is lost. In those times when we need him most and cry out to him, he is still right there. But it's even in those times that, deep down perhaps, we are still acknowledging the truth of God and his word.
Call out to God. He is near, and he will answer.
Think about it …
- Do you feel as if the Lord has abandoned you and is nowhere to be found?
- If so, can you identify what might have led to that feeling?
- Do you know someone that needs to hear this reminder about God's close presence when we call out to him?
