He’s Not So Far Away
by Andy Baker
Praise God that He is not absent from this world. In fact, He has created all of us with the purpose that man “should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him…” (Acts 17:27). You and I are built with an instinct seeking God to know Him, but the last part of Acts 17:27 is most encouraging, “though He is not far from each one of us.” God has not left us as “babes in the woods” but freely gives us reassurance that He is there for us, ready to offer help, and ready to accept our worship. He’s close, but how close? He’s close enough to each one of us that:
We don’t have to go to extreme lengths to please Him. It seems in Acts 17, the Athenians’ altar to the “unknown god” was their effort to not anger or neglect the god they did not know. How many people today are searching and thinking that God is calling them to do extreme things before He is pleased? Grueling pilgrimages, child sacrifices, snake handling, charismatic outbursts, and holy wars are all extreme inventions of man in an effort to please a God whom they do not know. He’s not that far away.
We don’t have to do extreme things in worship to be heard by Him. Elijah’s contest with the prophets of Baal in I Kings 18 teaches us that a man who is approved by God will follow God in worship to Him. The prophets of Baal had to make up their own worship because they made up their own god. Their efforts to cut themselves, leap upon their altars and cry aloud failed to produce a spark which would “light the fire.” However, a simple prayer by an obedient man of God caused a fire within a nation to realize what was right, even if it was short-lived. God calls us to make our lives and worship as He directs (Jn. 4:24; 14:15). When our imaginations run wild with the things we think or imagine are ok, we forget that He’s not that far away.
We don’t have to be anyone great to be acknowledged by Him. “You see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called” (I Cor. 1:26-27). The gospel call is to everyone, however, it is not the ones that this world views as great that have accepted it. Some people, because of who they are or what they have, are the only ones who have access to the president or celebrities or other people our world views as great. Yet, we have access in our humility to the one who created this world (Eph. 2:18). In fact, one cannot find Him without child-like humility (Matt. 5:3; 18:1-4). He’s not that far away.
We don’t have to grope around in the dark in order to find Him. One of the most frightening things to me is to be lost in the blackness of a cave without a light. Some have the idea that this is how God has left us: groping around in this world without knowledge of what He wants. This is not the case! God has given us His Light to shine in the darkness, to illumine our path, to guide us home, and to lead others to Him (Ps. 119:110; Jn. 1:4-5; 8:12; II Tim. 3:16-17). Whenever we kneel to pray, or pick up our Bible to study, or fellowship with the saints, or serve the needy, or help the lost, may we always remember that our God is always right there. He’s not that far away.