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He is Close to Us
Andrea Lende • August 11, 2020
Acts 17:27
The Lord is Close to Us
You may also listen to the meditation and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/He-is-Close-to-Us-ei0hln
Daily Word:
Act 17:27
“So that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel after Him and find Him, although He is not far from each of us.”
Just as we desire relationship with our children, God desires a relationship with us.
From the minute I gave birth to my children I fell deeply in love with them.
They were my world.
I attended to their every need.
They felt safe with me.
I was home to them.
It seems that I didn’t come to this space with the Lord until I was in the second half of my life – maybe even in this last quarter of my life.
Imagine this.
God is our Father.
God created us.
He designed us.
He knows our story from beginning to end.
He has our picture in the palm of His hand just like we carry pictures of our kiddos.
And He loves us more deeply than we love our own children.
I was so convicted as I read our verses today.
Because my love didn’t grow as deep for the Lord until now – until I find myself at closer to the end of my life.
Imagine that our children didn’t need us as babies.
Imagine that we birthed them but that they didn’t come to truly know us and love us until the end of their lives.
How empty and sad that would be.
I am thankful that the Lord has pulled me to Himself for my whole life.
I ask for forgiveness that I didn’t fully surrender to Him until these most current days.
Now I find myself in a place where He is my every breath.
He is my reason for living.
He is my reason for every second of my day.
He is my reason for praise and thanksgiving.
He is the God of my heart.
As our passage says, He is close to each of us.
As we seek Him, we find His proximity to us.
And we realize He was with us all along.
We find His love for us.
We find His grace, mercy, and peace.
Today I choose to continue to seek after the Lord and find Him close to my heart.
May you find that as you draw close to Him, He will show Himself and all He Is to you.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for drawing me to You. Thank You for showing me just how much You love me and desire relationship with me. Thank You for working in every detail of my life. I love to feel Your hand on my life. I love to hear Your gentle whispers. And I love that You are so very close to me. Help me serve You in all ways, Lord. Help me do Your will. May Your desires become my desires. May You strengthen me so that I do not back away from Your glorious plan. Use me to the highest, Father. Where there is pain help me bring relief. Where there is sorrow let me be an instrument that brings joy. Where there is chaos help me bring peace. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM the Great I AM and I desire your heart, My child.
Response: My heart is Yours, most gracious and loving Father.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.