Articles
Growing Closer To God
God is everywhere. We can't hide from Him, and people who think they can are fooling themselves. We don't say that to be arrogant, nor insensitive, nor judgmental. We say that because God Himself reveals that truth in His word, which we believe wholeheartedly, and He wants to be known by all mankind.
David helps us with these words, "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall fall on me,’ Even the night shall be light about me; Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You” (Psalm 139:7-12)
Are we consciously aware of His presence everywhere, all the time? We were brought up as kids taught that God is in Heaven, and indeed He is. We were properly taught that He sees all, knows all, and is always present, and indeed He is. James writes, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8) helping us understand that the closer we move toward Him, the closer He is to us, not that He isn't right there with us, but that we are what determines how close He is. As far as our relationship with God, He's as close as we will let Him get, or as far away as we push Him.
But no matter how hard some humans may try, we can't hide ourselves or our deeds from Him. Even people who claim to be without God, can't rid themselves of His presence, regardless of their will. He is light, and He shines in even the deepest darkness.
But for those of us trying to pull God closer, we want to live in His presence, and know He is always with us. If we are Christians, he indeed is living IN us, a joy and comfort the whole world needs to understand. God isn't far from us, He's not somewhere that He opens the blinds every few centuries to see how we are doing. He's our constant companion, our guide and our comforter and we exist in His presence all day every day.
