The mystery of God being near.

 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

The mystery of God being near. I will confess that I have a very active imagination, I love to visualise scenarios. So in my mind I have always thought that when I pray or call out to God, it takes a while for the information to reach Him. I used to think that at the point I pray it leaves the earth’s hemisphere then enters heaven. And of course it is instantaneous but there is a process that prayer follows. However I have come to believe because He lives on the inside of us. That surely He hears the prayer as soon as it forms as a thought it my mind. He is that close, which is just as assuring as it is scary. Because if He is that close then He immediately knows when I have sinned.

God’s promise to be near

In the bible God promises that He is near us, He is near to all who call on Him. One of my favourite verses in the bible is Joshua 1:9 when the Lord tells Joshua not to be discouraged nor to be afraid. Because God was and would be with him wherever Joshua went. Wherever the bible says “do not fear or do not be afraid, it immediately follows with the reassurance that God is with us. Reason being and the only reason that matters or counts is that God is with you. So I have put two and two together and derived that belief in God’s presence will drive out fear. Now the next time you are afraid remind yourself that God is with you!

Our expectations of God being near

God is not near to us because it is our expectation. He is near to us because of who He is. He is Omnipresent. This means God is present everywere all the time and at the same time. When we are in trouble, when we are fearful, when we don’t know what to do, we should remember that He is near. How does knowing this help us? This assurance brings peace, God is present, He knows what to do and He is capable of doing what needs to be done. A good illustration of this principle is a child who is crying, hurt or in pain, they call for their Mum and when she arrives, immediately the situation changes from their perspective. The Mum hasn’t done anything yet but the child believes that whatever is going on is all over.

Importance of prayer

Prayer I have found is a sure way to engage with God’s presence. I find it amazing and encouraging that God is so near to us that even what we feel is a half-baked prayer or a short prayer is enough to get His attention. My advice is keep it simple and state what you need or want as clearly as possible. Knowing that God hears us should boost our confidence to speak of our needs, desires, dreams and hopes. Because He has told us countless times in His word that He loves us, I encourage all of us to believe that it is true and to call on His name more often than not. Don’t talk yourself out of asking for what you need nor desire.