The Lord Is Near


“We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks!  For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near.”  (Psalm 75:1)

                We have so many reasons to give thanks to God.  Just a quick consideration of His attributes should cause us to rejoice forever.  A theologian once explained to me that all the attributes of God flow out of His two main attributes – holiness and love.  Holy means “set apart,” so we give thanks to God because He is exalted high above our wickedness.  Theologically, this is called the transcendence of God.  When Isaiah got his own glimpse of the Lord, He witnessed God’s holiness first-hand (Isa. 6:3).

                And yet, today’s verse emphasizes the love of God in that He is near to all of us.  The “nearness” of the Lord is what theologians call the imminence of God.  The psalmist said, “Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near.”  What works of God is Asaph talking about?  Creation proves that we serve a God who is near.  The fact that there is intricate design in creation and that it is all held together by a higher power proves that God is near.  The fact that you are breathing proves that God is near!

                Think of the wonderful comfort this verse provides!  We don’t serve an ivory tower god that refuses to look on the affairs of man.  We don’t serve a god that wound up the world and is now allowing it to spin out of control.  We serve a God who is intimately involved in every detail of His creation.  He even allows blessings to come to the holy and the unholy (Matt. 5:45).  And never forget that God is only a prayer away if you’ve placed your faith in Jesus.  You and I should draw nearer to Him!

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