The Lord is near

The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them. - Psalm 145v18-19

‘Where is God?’ may a question on many people’s minds today. The last couple of mornings the news has been all bad. The seeming start of a ‘double dip’ to the world recession dominates the news all day long. There is rioting on the streets of London and other English cities. The war on terrorism took a massive blow when a special operations helicopter was shot down. Jobs are threatened here and around the world. The unemployed can’t find work. And while all this goes on we still have cancer and heart attacks and all sorts of 

illness. People are dying unexpectedly. The wickedness of man is as obvious as it has even been.

So, where is God in all this? I remember trying to witness to a friend’s brother one time while we were at a BBQ. We were talking about God and how He works and that fact that He is real and active. His response, cleaned up a bit, was ‘Well, if God is here He really has messed things up, hasn’t he?’

As rough as that was in its original form, I think it expresses the attitude that many people have toward God. 

‘If He really is here He is not doing a very good job.’

This kind of thinking comes from a wrong perspective. We tend to blame God for man’s choices. God did not create a world full of beings that He forced to follow Him. He gave man choices and far too often man makes the foolish choices and turn from Him.

Where is God is all this? He is right where He always was. He is right here and ready to answer anyone who will call on Him.

All men have to do is call on Him.

There is an important thing for us Christians to remember – God is here, no matter how bad it seems. We are already His. All we have to do is ask.