A Closer Walk
"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your forbearing spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus," Philippians 4:4-7 NASB. Sandwiched in between the "Rejoice in the Lord always ..." and the "Be anxious for nothing ..." is the phrase, "The Lord is near." How is the Lord near? And to whom? When?
The Lord is at hand, or near. But for whom? "The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth," Psalm 145:18 NASB. Our Lord is near or at hand for all who call upon Him. To ALL who call upon Him. He is near to all those who call upon Him in truth. The phrase, “...in truth ...” brings up a question. Can we lie to God? No. He knows everything, including everything about us. He knows our hearts and our minds. Can we manipulate God? Is it possible to trick Him into doing something He otherwise would not do? Let's look at that question another way. Can a man stand on the railroad tracks and wave his arms and jump up and down and force the oncoming speeding train to stop? Are we able to stop God's will? Is it certain our Lord will carry out His will no matter the current circumstance? In contrast, are we able to put our God into a situation where He will be forced into acting the way we desire Him to act? The obvious answer to all these questions is NO! A resounding NO! But it is certain our God tells us that He is near to all who call upon Him.
The Lord is near. "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit," Psalm 34:18 NASB. Our Lord knows when we are broken. He knows when circumstances have brought us to our knees. He knows when we felt like we just can't go on. Here is what Old Testament prophet Isaiah says about our Lord Jesus Christ, "A bruised reed He will not break, and a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish ..." Isaiah 42:3 NASB. Our God knows our limits; better than we know them. And He will not push us beyond what we are able to handle. The difference is that we usually believe we are able to handle less than God knows we can handle. And He, in His Sovereignty, may desire to stretch our limits beyond what we think we are able. Here is what Job says about adversity in responding to his wife who told him to curse God and die, thereby ending all his troubles. "But he said to her, 'You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?'" Job 2:10 NASB.
The Lord is near. So, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." And the result of doing this? “And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
“'Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me. And I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find me, when you search for me with all your heart, And I will be found by you,' declares the Lord ... ” Jeremiah 29:12-14 NASB.
“All the way my Savior leads me—What do I have to ask beside? Can I doubt His tender mercy, Who through life has been my guide? Heav'nly peace, divinest comfort, Here by faith in Him to dwell! For I know whate'er befall me, Jesus doeth all things well; For I know whate'er befall me, Jesus doeth all things well.” Words: Fanny Crosby, 1820-1915; music: Robert Lowry, 1826-1899. Available on YouTube.