The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
"Here"
Creation teems with the living and active presence of God. Even the most godly among us see but a tiny measure of His vibrant working to fulfill "the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Ephesians 3:11). He is there nonetheless, and even more, He is here in the condition, circumstance, and situation of our life as it presently exists. Our Lord ever abides as the great fact, the great reality of our every moment.
Father, are You there?
No, My child, I am not there,
I am here, nearer than any other.
And I will always be not there, but here,
of this you can be sure,
and this you will discover
as the years roll on, and eternity draws nigh,
I am with you always,
so near, so much nearer than any other.
He is the God of here, the omnipresent Creator and Sustainer all things (John 1:3; Colossians 1:17). From the inward, infinitesimal regions of the atom to the untold reaches of a vast universe, God abides beyond measure, as Solomon declared, "the Heaven of heavens cannot contain Thee!" (II Chronicles 6:18). Indeed, everywhere is here to God. There is no there for Him. Thus, we never need coax our Lord onto the scene of any aspect of our lives. He rather awakens us to His presence as we walk with Him by the faith that sees the Unseen awaiting us around every corner, on every mountaintop, and in every venue of our existence. "Thou art there" declared the Psalmist of the God he realized would be encountered when "there" becomes "here" (Psalm 139:8).
Let us make this personal. As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, His promise rings through the centuries unto this moment. "I am with you always" (Matthew 28:20). Whatever the moment holds, along with all to come, the Spirit of God beckons us to open the eyes of our hearts to the "Here" of the Lord Jesus. Yes, He is here to be praised and thanked in our blessings. He is here to be trusted in our trials. He is here to be obeyed by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is here to forgive and cleanse when we fail and then confess our sins. He is here to lead us in all things as we seek to communicate Him to others by the example of our life and the words of our mouths. Nearer than our next breath He is and will always be. Faith sees this unseen glory, and joyously awaits the day when the "Here" of God will be known in infinitely greater measure. Until then, we make the choices that affirm our Lord's presence and provision in all things. As we do, He will confirm our confidence and our determination to join Moses who "endured, as seeing Him who is invisible" (Hebrews 11:27).
"Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from Thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, Thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me."
(Psalm 139:7-10)
Weekly Memory Verse
But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
(Ephesians 2:4-7)
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