I Can’t See Him! But as for me, the nearness of God is my good;
I have made the Lord God my refuge,
That I may tell of all Your works.
Psalm 73:28

How “near” is God?

Well, Psalm 139:7-12 tells us how near He is to us:

I can never be lost to Your Spirit! I can never get away from my God! If I go up to Heaven, You are there: if I go down to the place of the dead, you are there. If I ride the morning winds to the farthest oceans, even there Your hand will guide me, Your strength will support me. If I try to hide in the darkness, the night becomes light around me. For even darkness cannot hide from God . . . . He is everywhere! God is God! Nothing is impossible for Him! Too often we try to make Him fit into one of our miniscule boxes–and because He won’t “fit”–we say, “No way can that be true.” But Jeremiah 32:27 says I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too difficult for Me? We choose. Will I believe what He says or believe my physical senses? My practical self?  My skepticism?

The Psalmist says, “The nearness of God is my good.” What does that mean? To me it means that if I realize/accept His presence with me–no matter where I am–that as I set my mind on that truth (and since it is in His Word it IS truth)–I will have the strength to face whatever comes into my life this day.1 It means that I will have the desire to control my actions; it means that Someone is holding my hand who loves me and longs to be my Knight in Shining Armor–so many wonderful things! As I always remind you, “He is as real to you as you will allow Him to be!” Believe that your hand is in His–believe that His arm is around your shoulder–draw from His wisdom, His strength, His love for you. Stand in the security of His love, His acceptance, His presence within you.

As we do this, we make Him our refuge. What is a refuge? A shelter or protection from danger or difficulty. You can’t SEE Him, you can’t FEEL Him, you can’t HEAR Him or TOUCH Him–so that means He isn’t really with you–He can’t really be your refuge. Right? No. That is wrong! Jesus says, “Blessed are you who believe without seeing”.

We believe in many things that we do not see–things that we cannot explain.
There are those who can explain to you how electricity works. I can’t. I just know that when I flip the switch, the light comes on or goes off. But I don’t refuse to use it just because I can’t explain it–because I can’t touch, feel, or see it. I see the results. That’s what the Psalmist says–as I allow Him to be my refuge, as I experience that for myself, I may tell of your good works–the results!

Oh, to believe Him! To accept into my life the reality of Him! I know the truth, but to experience that truth, I must walk in it–step by step. And just because I fail to do that at 10:00 doesn’t mean that I don’t have another chance at 10:04.

Thank You for Your patience, Your understanding, Your constant presence, and Your unfathomable love!

Philippians 4:13

¹³I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me.

John 20:29 

 ²⁹Jesus said, "So, you believe because you've seen with your own eyes. Even better blessings are in store for those who believe without seeing."

Psalm 121

 ¹I look up toward the mountains.
   Where can I find help?
²My help comes from the Lord,
   the maker of heaven and earth.
³He will not let you fall.
   Your guardian will not fall asleep.
⁴Indeed, the Guardian of Israel never rests or sleeps.
⁵The Lord is your guardian.
The Lord is the shade over your right hand.
 ⁶The sun will not beat down on you during the day, nor will the moon at night.
⁷The Lord guards you from every evil.
   He guards your life.
⁸The Lord guards you as you come and go, now and forever.