God Come Nearer Psalm 145:18

The Lord is near to them that call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.


From time to time I have people tell me that they do not feel that the Lord is very near to them. When they pray it is as if their prayers do not get above the ceiling; it is as if God is not listening to them and He refuses to hear them. I am sure that David felt the same thing. He was anointed to be king of Israel at a very early age but his rise to power and popularity was not without some very difficult days.

David understood something that you and I need to understand. He knew that God was with him no matter what was going on in his life and no matter how he felt. David tells in verse 15, “You give them their meat in due season. The Lord is righteous in all His ways, and Holy in all His work.” He goes on to write, “The Lord is near to them that call upon Him and to all who call upon Him in truth.”

God hears our prayers. He knows our circumstances and He knows our situations. He has a solution for whatever is going on in our lives as well. Here is what you and I need to remember today. First of all, David tells us that the Lord is near those who “call upon Him.” How often are we guilty of living our lives our way and according to our own timetables and we take no time to call upon the Lord. It is one thing to call on the name of the Lord when we are in trouble, but it is entirely another thing to call upon Him with each and every decision that we make so that He can keep us out of trouble!

Look closely at what David says. He writes, “The Lord is near them that call on Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.” Here is where the real difference comes in for your life and mine. We are to call upon the Lord in truth; how do we do that? We call upon Him according to His truth found in the Word of God. As you and I seek to live our lives holy and acceptable unto Him, obeying His Word and keeping His commandments, we can know that His presence is with us and where His presence is, there His power and His provisions be found as well, in due season or according to His time table.

When you and I make the commitment to walk with the Lord in obedience to His Word and His direction for our lives, we are promised His presence as He promises to be near us. We may not always feel His presence but we can be assured by faith He will be there with us and for us. If we refuse to walk with Him in obedience and we insist on doing what seems right in our own eyes, God may well allow us to be captive of our own decisions to teach us that His way is always the best way. He is still with us because He promises that nothing can separate us from His love for us. He is always watching out for us.

Just remember that “near” is a very relative term and His nearness to us is always close enough from His perspective. If He is not as close to you as you would like, begin to walk with Him in obedience without excuse or exception and let your obedience to His truth draw you closer to Him! He will bless your obedience to His Word! If you are not as close to the Lord as you need to be, guess who moved?