Distance

When we were on vacation last month we drove close to 3,000 miles over 16 days.  Most of those miles were in the two days it took us to get to the Midwest and the two days back, while the remainder happened in various shorter trips to see family and friends in the places where we stayed.  There weren't any days where we didn't go at least one or two places, and all those miles added up.  Any way you look at it, we covered a lot of distance.

One of the blessings of traveling to the Midwest was that for a few days we could enjoy a greatly decreased distance from members of our families, especially our parents.  In Minnesota we were just two miles from Robin's parents, and in Wisconsin my mother was often no farther away than the next room in her house.

The Bible also shows us something of distance, particularly in the distance separating God from humans.  On the one hand the distance between the two is impossible to measure.  God is holy and humans are sinful, and so the distance between the two is vast.  But on the other hand, under the right circumstances, the distance is virtually erased.

Psalm 145:18 says,

"The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth."

As I read that verse I understand "truth" to mean a  recognition that the psalmist is a sinner, who acknowledges his sin before God and seeks God's forgiveness.  The psalmist understands this very basic notion about God.  In the New Testament we see with clarity the means of God's forgiveness, which is our having faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus as the sacrifice that removes our sin, so that we can confidently come before God and know His very presence with us each and every moment of every day.

Unlike our trip to the Midwest, which we have to save for and can only happen once a year, the closing of the distance between any human being and God costs that person nothing except surrendering their own sense of pride and living as the god of their own life, and placing their faith in Jesus.   

And once it takes place it is a permanent action.  God's promise is that He will be there with you, end of story.  Moses reminded the people of Israel in Deuteronomy 31:6,

"Be strong and courageous.  Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you."

Like the words of the psalmist, the words of Moses are made clear in the person of Jesus Christ.  

Place your faith in Him today, close the distance, and know that He will be with you, now and forever.  Amen.

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.