how near is god

Hebrews 10:22 & Jeremiah 23:23-24
    Do you ever feel as if God is 'far off'? You know, how that some days it seems as though His Presence is so real that it can be felt. There is peace in your heart, contentment in your soul and a song on your lips...and then, there are those days wen the storm clouds of circumstances surround you and the feelings of His presence are as absent as a schoolboy playing hookey.
    It is good to know that God's Presence is not based on the feelings of our emotions, but rather, on Faith in His Word. Psalm 139 reminds us that God is ever near, that there is nowhere that God is not, that He knows not only everything that concerns us, but also everything about us. The context of Hebrews 10:22 reminds us that because of what Christ Jesus has done for us, through Him, we have intimate access to the Father. So, it is not that God is not near us, but that we are as not near Him as we could be.
     Two people can be in the same room physically and yet be miles apart socially due to some misunderstanding that has caused a breach in their fellowship. Isaiah 59:2 tells us that sin separates us from God by coming between us, just as circumstances may separate us from close friends. But, just because there is separation, does not mean God has forsaken.
     We can be as near God as we want to be holy. Again, our text encourages us to "Draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith..." James 4:8 likewise tells us to "Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to us".
     Following is a part of a poem found during WW2, on the wall of a cellar, written by a Jew in the Cologne concentration camp.“I believe in the sun
even when it is not shining
And I believe in love,
even when there’s no one there.
And I believe in God,
even when he is silent..."
Nearness to God begins with our hearts attitude regardless of our present circumstances. God is there, He is always near, closer that we feel.
   Fanny Crosby was visiting William Doane in Cincinnati, Ohio. As they sat on the porch, they talked about the nearness of God. The next morning, Fanny gave him the words to thoughts that came to her mind during the night. Doane set them to music and in 1875 the hymn, "I Am Thine, O Lord" was published. As you sing this song throughout your day, may the chorus become a prayer asking, "Draw me nearer..." Because God is ever near, we must desire to be drawn nearer to Him. May you feel His presence, by faith, in all your circumstances.