Nearby

Jeremiah 23: 23

“Am I a God who is near,” declares the Lord, “and not a God far off?’

God wants you to know that he is a close God rather than a faraway deity. He is a personal, close friend and confidant. Sometimes people perceive God as sitting far away in some distant space. He says that he fills the heavens and the earth (Jeremiah 23: 24). He is as close as your breath. He lives in you and all around you. Look at something near you at this moment. God is in that space between you and the item at which you looked. He is in your present moment. He is completely filling the earth. His presence is so close that when you inhale, you breathe Him in. When your heart beats, He hears the sound of it. He has filled all of the space of this earth. Everywhere you go, there He is. He is a very present God because He is in love with you. He wants to be with you all of the time and help you with everything you do. He wants to do things for you so that you can enjoy your life. You have a very close friend. He is ever present so you will never be alone. What do you want to do today? How would it be if you carried the creator of the whole universe with you? Wouldn’t that be awesome? There is nothing He would like more than to go to work with you today and go to lunch with you.

Peek-a-boo

Isaiah 52: 6

Therefore My people shall know My name; therefore in that day I am the one who is speaking, “Here I am.”

It is cool to be God. He gets to identify how He will be known and He says to you and to me, “I want you to know me as ‘Here I am.’” Oh, how great is that? Come on, let that sink down into the pit of your stomach and see how that feels. That is exciting, isn’t it?

God said, “Hey, I am a God who is near, not far off” (paraphrase Jeremiah 23: 23). He wants to be the God of “Here”; here I am. In other words, His place in the cosmos is not sitting on some far off planet where He uses the moon of that planet as His footstool. He is the God of when you call, there I am. That is God’s self-identity. Many folks would define a true friend in that same language. A friend is someone who is always “there” when you need them. God wants us to call Him.

This also reminds me of playing Peek-a-boo with children. Every time the child moves their hands or we do, there we are. Think about how little children giggle every time they see you. We can be those little children who are comforted and cheered every time we look to the Father because He is always answering, “Here I am.”

You never again have to wonder where God is. He is there where you are. He is the playwright and  He wrote His role as your always present companion. You know, He is known as the great “I Am”. Now you know one important aspect of what that means –“Here I AM.” I am with you.

God can choose any role for Himself He wants and He chose to be your “Here I am.” That is pretty amazing. What a beautiful choice, what a beautiful concept and what a precious scripture. All that God is He brings to you. Glory to God!