Daily Prayer Guide - Monday March 30 - The Promise of Gods Nearness

He is with us, He is near

God gives us three great gifts, his promises in his Word to be near us, his Spirit that he has placed in us and prayer that draws to to him

Deuteronomy 31:6 

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Ps 23:4

“ Even though I walk

through the darkest valley, 

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.”

Isa 41:10

“So do not fear, for I am with you;

do not be dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you;

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

John 14:16-17

“ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—¹⁷ the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”

When the sun is shining on life and all is well, when everything is going as we expected, then God’s nearness can be a distant concern.  But that is not every day and certainly not days like today.  When we go through difficult and uncertain times it is an easy to be tempted to say, “where is God? Is he anywhere to be found?”

Often we can loose sight of God’s nearness to us when we set our eyes on something else and allow our minds to be captivated by that other concern.  When our minds are set upon knowing the Lord, we will discover his nearness. 

According to God’s Word, God has promised that he is near and with his people, always.  Our emotional feelings do not determine whether he is near, God’s Word says he is near and we can rely on the promise of his Word to be true.  

When Israel was facing challenges like the fear of entering the promised land and Joshua was to lead them to cross the Jordan, at flood stage, God reminds them of the special relationship they have with Yahweh and to take courage because he is with them and he will not loose sight of them.    

David knew that when he was walking in difficult days, and he had a number of them, keeping his eyes set upon God would protect his heart from fear and that God was in the process of using these experiences to shape him to look more like himself. 

We have three great gifts to remind us of God’s nearness, his Word, his Spirit and prayer.  His Word promises he is with us, his Spirit is the evidence of his presence in our lives and through prayer we are able to come near to the Father who loves us.  All of these help us re-calibrate our minds and hearts to draw us back to the truth of God’s presence

“

Heb 10:22 

“Let us draw near to God with sincere heart and the full assurance that faith brings”

As you pray, remember God’s promise and gift of his nearness to you…

·      Thank him for always being with you, whether you see or feel him or not.

·      Thank him for his Word that promises his presence in your life. 

·      Ask him what you need to do to experience his nearness today.

·      Ask him to be near and evident to those who are struggling today with coronavirus, the loss of jobs and the fear of this situation. 

·      Ask him that he would use his people who are First Responders and medical personnel to reveal his presence in their situations.

Father,  Thank you that your promises are true and your nearness is sure.  Thank you for giving us your Word that never changes and always reminds me you are with me.  Thank you for your Spirit that you gave me and who is always with me to help me look more like you in my life.  Thank you that I can come to you in prayer and experience being with you.  The promise of your nearness is a gift to me, help me be as aware of you as you are near to me.  Amen.