Does God Want to Be Near Me?
A Guided Devotion on the Nearness of God
“Does God want to be near me?”
Have you ever found yourself asking this question? Have you ever answered the above question along the following lines?
“I don’t know. It doesn’t feel like God wants to be near me. Why should He? I get that Christ died for me, I guess, but God must have so many other things to worry about besides my life—bigger fish to fry, so to speak.”
If you’ve ever felt this way, or if you’re interested in where I’m going with this, please keep reading. I’d like to take you on a guided tour—a guided Scripture tour through devotion and reflection on the nearness of God from His Word.
We’re going to take three “stops” to read some Scripture passages followed by some reflective questions after each stop. (All block quotes below are from the Holman Bible Publishers’ Christian Standard Bible.)
His Word does not return void (Isa. 55:11). May He speak to us now through it.
Stop #1
Zephaniah 3:17
The LORD your God is among you, a warrior who saves.
He will rejoice over you with gladness.
He will be quiet in his love.
He will delight in you with singing.
Psalm 56:8, 11
You yourself have recorded my wanderings.
Put my tears in your bottle.
Are they not in your book?
. . .
In God I trust; I will not be afraid.
What can mere humans do to me?
Psalm 139:1–12
LORD, you have searched me and known me.
You know when I sit down and when I stand up;
you understand my thoughts from far away.
You observe my travels and my rest;
you are aware of all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue,
you know all about it, LORD.
You have encircled me;
you have placed your hand on me.
This wondrous knowledge is beyond me.
It is lofty; I am unable to reach it.Where can I go to escape your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
If I fly on the wings of the dawn
and settle down on the western horizon,
even there your hand will lead me;
your right hand will hold on to me.
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me,
and the light around me will be night” —
even the darkness is not dark to you.
The night shines like the day;
darkness and light are alike to you.
Reflection Questions:
How can you best summarize the content of these three passages?
Is God described as distant? As near? As both?
In what way(s) could you incorporate this biblical language into your thoughts and prayers?
Stop #2
Exodus 24:9–11
Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of Israel’s elders, and they saw the God of Israel. Beneath his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as clear as the sky itself. God did not harm the Israelite nobles; they saw him, and they ate and drank.
Exodus 40:34–38
The cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Moses was unable to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud rested on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. The Israelites set out whenever the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle throughout all the stages of their journey. If the cloud was not taken up, they did not set out until the day it was taken up. For the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and there was a fire inside the cloud by night, visible to the entire house of Israel throughout all the stages of their journey.
John 1:14
The Word became flesh and dwelt [literally, tabernacled] among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 14:23–24
Jesus answered, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. The one who doesn’t love me will not keep my words. The word that you hear is not mine but is from the Father who sent me.”
Reflection Questions:
What does it mean for Christ to dwell/tabernacle with you in your Christian walk?
How could this reality alter your prayer life?
How could this reality alter how you look at yourself?
Stop #3
1 Thessalonians 5:16–18
Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:4–7
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Reflection Question:
How does praying always relate to God’s presence with us in these verses?
Bringing the Tour to a Close
Here’s a key point that pulses through Scripture’s veins:
God cares about the small things, too. He cares about the difficulties you have waking up at your desired time. The internal frustrations you feel toward yourself when you lose your temper . . . again. [And insert any struggle from your life here.]
The same God who will hold you accountable for every thought and deed on the day of the Lord cares about you currently in every last one of those thoughts and deeds before, during, and after they occur.
Sin is what distances us from God. Even before Christ came, God desired to come near to His people. God came in the flesh, laid down His life for your sins, and beckons you to come near.
So, let’s change that opening question (“Does God want to be near you?”).
Instead, the question is . . .
Do you, with all your being, want to be near to God?
Reflection Questions:
To what extent do you live your life knowing that God knows your sitting, your standing, your tears, your tossings, and your turnings?
Should your definition of prayer or your expectations of prayer change due to this knowledge? How so?
Reader, did you find this encouraging? Helpful even? If so, please let me know. Scripture’s narrative starts, ends, and is filled throughout with God dwelling with His people, wanting to be near them. If you yearn for more on this topic (or at least more guided Scripture tours/devotions), please let me know. If some of the passages or reflection questions confused rather than comforted, I’d love to hear that as well so I can better help.
Ever a pleasure, in God our true and certain comfort amidst trials and triumphs,
Keesling’s Corner