The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.
- Psalm 145:18-19
When we don't get on with someone, we distance ourselves. It is a natural reaction. Of course, unless we are work colleagues or team mates and don't have the right to do that. How far does the Lord remove himself from people He doesn't get on with? It says that He is near to them that call upon Him in truth. Well, what other ways can we call upon God?
There is a saying about a dashboard Jesus, where we call on Him only when we need Him. People who supply others' needs get a bit tired of that; when no relationship is built other than one person always using the resources of the other. God is also like that. He is not near those who only use Him as ‘dashboard’ friend, to get them out of trouble, or get them a job, or reunite them with others, or even find them a carpark outside Woolworths.
These verses above explain that He is near truth — the truth found in our hearts. He can't come near sin and deception. If we want a relationship with the Lord, He must be our Saviour all of the time, not just for urgent needs in days of tears.
The story of the boy who cried wolf is similar to this passage, in that we cry out to God urgently, and appear as if we want a relationship, but when the heat of the moment has passed we put him back on the dashboard. The Israelites often did that to God, and his responses cannot be ignored. Job 27:8-9 put it clearly, "For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul? Will God hear his cry when trouble cometh upon him?
Today’s Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for rejecting those who use you up. Help me always to have a pure, transparent intent in relationships and not a selfish one, particularly with you.
Comments