DEAR AND NEAR

 

The LORD is righteous in all His ways,

Gracious in all His works. 

The LORD is near to all who call upon Him,

To all who call upon Him in truth.  (Psalm 145:17-18)

We are dear to God, and, therefore, He is near to us.  As a father hears the cry of his child—responsive to the need—so, our Heavenly Father hears our desperate plea.  If we call out to Him with a sincere heart and pure motive, we may be sure that He comes to our aid.  We may not perceive Him as clearly as we would wish, but He has promised to be present—and He cannot lie!  We cannot always count on human fathers.  At our best, we are still flawed—and we are not always at our best.  We are imperfect and impotent to know what to do and to be able to do what our children need at times.  Mortal men have their limitations.  The nicest father on earth may be powerless to provide, even when he wants to respond in love.   What if my child falls and gets hurt on the school playground, while I am on a business trip halfway around the world?  I might even be in a location where I could not even receive a cell phone call!  Should word reach me, how long might it take for me to reach my son or daughter?  If I got to them, would I be able to help them?  Maybe they had severed their spinal cord or sustained a brain injury that would be fatal—what could I do even if I were there?  Our Father in Heaven has no such limitations.  Because He is infinitely wise, He always knows what needs to be done.  Since He is infinitely holy, He will always do the right thing.  So, the Psalmist declares, “The LORD is righteous in all His ways.”  Being infinitely loving, we can depend on Him to desire to help His child. He is, “Gracious in all His works.”  Being ever attentive, He responds promptly to our sincere cry, “The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.”  He is the LORD, and so all-powerful to deliver us!